Stregoni Benefici
by Whitelight72
Summary: Stregoni Benefici: An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness, and a mortal enemy of all evil vampires. Hi, my name is Isabella Swan, and I'm the stregoni benefici. Rated M for a few lemons in later chapters.
1. Bella Goes Buffy

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 1  
Bella Goes Buffy**

It was strange, that I could hear them speaking so clearly when I wasn't in the room. Demetri had told me to wait outside while he went in to talk with the Volturi. . I found that a bit odd; if it's concerning me, shouldn't I be allowed in as well? Apparently not.

The doors opened and Demetri beckoned me in. I walked with careful steps to his side and faced a pale-faced man, I assumed him to be Aro. He was smiling down at me.

"You truly are remarkable, Isabella Swan," he said. "I am Aro. Please, tell me of you… symptoms…" he requested.

I obliged. "I'm… fast. Much faster than I used to be, much like your kind. All my senses have become exponentially stronger. But yet, I do not crave blood as much as I should. I can feed on a deer once every two months, and it suffices. I can eat human food, and actually taste it.

"I… I'm strong. Not nearly as strong as I should be if I were a newborn, but I'm stronger than I used to be. But I can go into the sunlight and I don't… well, for lack of better term, I don't glow, or-or shimmer, I guess you could say. And sleep! I need to sleep only as often as I feed on blood. What AM I?"

Aro observed me carefully. "Isabella, my dear, are you, perchance, of Italian decent?"

What that had to do with anything, I had no idea, but I answered nonetheless. "Yes, on my father's side."

"Felix," Aro ordered. The man by the door looked up. "Fetch Caius and Marcus. They'll want to hear what I have discovered."

I didn't feel like waiting, and I didn't for very long. Less than a minute, two more ancient looking vampires followed the man, Felix, into the room.

"You called, Aro?" one of them questioned.

"Yes Marcus," he replied. "I'd like you both to meet Isabella Swan," he introduced.

"And I care about the worthless human, why?" the other asked.

I rolled my eyes as Aro answered. "That's the thing; she's not human. She was bitten, yet here she stands before us, looking and smelling very much like a human. Extraordinary, is it not?"

Caius gasped. It was odd; I'd never seen a vampire particularly surprised before. Maybe it was just the Cullen's that always seemed to know everything though.

"You mean… stregoni benefici. It's… _her_?" he asked, disgust lacing his tone.

"Indeed it is," Aro replied.

Stregoni benefici, why did that sound so familiar to me? I suddenly had a flashback to when I was doing Internet research about vampires, trying to figure out what Edward was. And then I remembered; the text flashed through my mind as though I was staring at the computer screen.

Stregoni Benefici: An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness, and a mortal enemy of all evil vampires.

"You think I'm stregoni benefici?" I asked incredulously. "You're crazy. There's no way!"

Aro simply nodded. "You are. It's truly amazing. And we intend to use this as an advantage, right Isabella?"

I nodded, unsure. "Good," he exclaimed. "Now see, it is true, we feed on human blood. This does not necessarily make us 'evil' vampires. The ones involved in massacres, those are the ones the legend refers to. Those are the ones you'll be taking care of."

"Taking care of?" I asked cautiously.

"Well yes, of course. Don't you see Isabella; you're like our human liaison. You will, of course, be allowed to return home. I only ask that you allow one of our kind to go with you. You're much to precious to be lost, or uninformed. You will, naturally, need training. One of our own will be in charge of such training."

He reached forward and touched his hand on my shoulder. For a long moment, harsh concentration appeared on his face. He withdrew his hand, his face filled with wonder. "Why is it that I cannot hear your thoughts?"

I shrugged, truly no knowing. "I'm honestly not sure, but Edward couldn't either," I replied, wincing as his name burned in my throat.

"Edward?" a girl asked. I turned around and noticed several more people, hidden by shadows, that I hadn't seen before. "Who is this, Edward?"

"Edward" – my voice broke – "Cullen," I replied.

"Cullen?" Aro asked incredulously. "You're familiar with the Cullens?"

I nodded. "Of course. I went to school with the younger ones. I saw Carlisle on a regular basis; I'm rather clumsy and I was often in the hospital under his care."

"Yes, I'm good friends with Carlisle. He is a most remarkable man." I nodded in agreement. "But… Edward…" He gasped. "_You're_ Edward's Bella!"

"I _was_ Edward's Bella," I corrected. "I haven't seen him in over a year."

"You mean he is unaware of your current status."

"Yes," I replied in clipped tones. "He left me two September's ago, shortly after my eighteenth birthday." My last birthday.

"Most curious," Aro commented.

"If you don't mind my asking, how is it exactly you knew of us?"

"Oh, my dear, sweet, naïve, Isabella, I keep in touch with Carlisle Cullen. I was amazed that Edward had been so _drawn_ to a human… but now after meeting you, I think I can understand it."

I refused to respond to that certain statement. "I mean not to be rude, but are we done here. I very much wish to return to Washington."

Aro started. "Yes, yes, of course. How rude of me! Demetri, would you be interested in watching over dear Bella in America?"

He bowed; I stifled a laugh. "Of course, Aro. It would be my pleasure."

… And this is how Demetri became my handler, and best friend.

* * *

**Author's Note: Reviews would be much appreciated. Don't worry, there will be no off pairing in this story. I WILL NOT do a JacobxBella, because I simply don't support them. This will be EdwardxBella all the way. Edward will appear in a couple chapters. And I know this chapter is a bit short, but I promise, they get longer.  
**

**Whitelight72**


	2. U of A

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 2  
U of A**

"Demetri," I called, entering my college dorm. I had been accepted to the University of Alaska. I just started attending the one in Anchorage. Believe it or not, I'm starting as Med student. Biology was my strongest subject, so I went to doctoring from there. I want to know how Carlisle feels when he saves a life. Also, knowing medicinal basics should come in very handy with training. I wasn't quite as invincible as a regular vampire, and got hurt very often. Maybe if I can treat myself, I won't have to put up with Demetri laughing as he drives me to the hospital.

Demetri came walking out of my closet. "Yes?"

"Do I even want to know why you were in my closet?"

"Actually," he said, playfully glaring at me, "I was just putting away your leather jacket."

I nodded, prepared to accept this excuse when it dawned on me. "Um, I don't have a leather jacket."

He reached into the closet and pulled one out. "Are you sure about that?"

I leapt forward and hugged him. "Oh, thank you so much!" I exclaimed.

He grinned. "You're very welcome. Now hurry up and go take a shower like I know you want to. Your first class starts in two hours."

I nodded and rushed into my bathroom. After my shower, I opened my door and held out my hand. Demetri handed me a stack of clothing and I closed the door once more. This was routine for us now. _I_ was hardly ever allowed to pick out my clothing; Demetri enjoyed it too much.

After I got dressed, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and rolled my eyes. Coming out of the bathroom, I said, "Good God, could you make me look a little _more_ gothic. Seriously, isn't this a bit much."

"Not at all; you look very appetizing," he leered.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's try to remember I'm not human anymore."

He laughed. "Yes, I know, I know."

A thought struck me. "Say, how did you get assigned to my dorm room?" I asked.

"I_ convinced_ the pretty receptionist that you're chronically paranoid and that you had panic attacks if we didn't sleep in the same room."

I laughed. "So you have her thinking I'm a crazy psychopath. Great."

"Either that or you have a very horny boyfriend very good with excuses," he joked.

"Ah yes, the wonders of incest. Whatever would Aro say?"

"He called while you were out by the way," Demetri commented.

I glared at him. "And you didn't feel the need to mention this before?"

He ignored me. "He says to wish you good luck in your first class."

Demetri picked up my books, and his, and opened the door for me. He followed me into the hall and closed the door. We were headed for class.

"How are you going to handle being around all those humans during classes?" I asked with blatant curiosity.

"I'll have you know that I have just as much control around humans as the Cullens do," he said. I closed my eyes tightly, wishing away the horrible memories coming to mind. "Oh, I'm sorry Isabella. I forgot," he immediately apologized.

I shook my head. "No, it's ok," I mumbled. I opened my eyes a forced a smile. "I'm fine. Come on, let's go to class."

.xoxo.

"Did-we-have-to-do-this-tonight?" I asked, grunting as I took swings at the punching bag.

"Aro doesn't want a loss of training because of school."

"Of course not," I rolled my eyes.

"Besides, it's not like you need to rest anyway," he commented.

"I do still sleep," I corrected him.

"A mere technicality. You only sleep about once a month."

"Yeah, I'll have you know, before training, I could go two months without sleep. All this fighting is wearing me out," I complained.

"You'll live."

"If you wanna be technical about it," I said with a grin.

He cut me off, "Oh, you know what I meant."

After we finished training, I went to the local Starbucks. I was supposed to be meeting Angela. She was also attending U of A. Demetri had tried to follow me, but I told him to stay; I didn't feel like explaining my scary new Edward-like bodyguard.

"Bella!" I heard someone call. With a smile, I turned to face Angela. She ran forward and embraced me. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back. "How've you been?" she inquired.

"Pretty good," I responded. "And yourself?"

"Great. Ben says hello. He wanted to come, but I told him it was girl time only."

I laughed. "I still can't believe you both ended up here."

She nodded. "I know! I can't believe he turned down Princeton for me."

"_I_ can't believe _you_ turned down Princeton for me," I interjected. She blushed.

"Well, I mean… I didn't want you to be… you were…" she trailed off, not finishing her thoughts, although I knew what she had meant to say. It was her way of making sure I was ok; of making sure I didn't turn catatonic again. She didn't want me to be alone.

I nodded slowly. "I know why you did it," I said softly. "And I thank you for it."

We talked for a few minutes about our lives; I accidentally slipped up and mentioned Demetri.

"Demetri? Who's that?" she asked curiously.

"He's my brother," I said instantly, the first thing that came to mind.

"Brother? I didn't know you had a brother! Why didn't he go to Forks?"

I raised my hand to halt her questions. "Yes, he's my older brother. He was bad in health growing up, and when I was sent to Forks, he had to stay behind because the rainy weather was bad for his health." I amazed myself at how easily the lies came now that I was a vampire.

She nodded. "Yes, I suppose that's understandable."

We talked for a while longer and only decided to leave when Starbucks was closing. I insisted on walking her back to her dorm; there was no way I was letting her walk alone at night. I was, essentially, hunted. When the 'evil' vampires had learned of the stregoni benefici, they, coven by coven, began to seek me out to destroy me. I never knew when one would be in town, and I didn't want to risk Angela being hurt because of me.

I walked her back to her dorm, and then headed for mine, which was, inconveniently, across the campus. I was keenly aware of someone following me. I took an unnecessary turn and he – I could tell by his heavy steps – continued to follow me. I turned for the last time into a dark alley between two of the school buildings so no one would see us, and spun around at an inhumane speed to face my stalker, muscles tensed, ready to attack.

The boy started and stepped back. It was then that I recognized his face; Mike Newton. My body relaxed.

"Good God Mike, you're going to give me a heart attack," I scolded. "What are you thinking, following me around at night?"

"Sorry," he replied, a faint blush coming to his cheeks. "I didn't know you were attending to U of A."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm a Med student." I was silently begging for an excuse to get away from Mike without sounding rude. As if on cue, my cell phone rang and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, Demetri?" I answered, flipping it open.

"You're late," his voice said through the phone. "Were you attacked?" he asked curiously, a trace of anxiousness in his tone.

"No, no, I'm fine. I just ran into an old friend from Forks. I'll see you in a few minutes," I replied before closing the phone.

"Demetri?" he questioned, jealously clear in his voice.

"My brother," I said. Before he could speak, I continued. "I should really get going. I was supposed to be meeting him. I'll see you later, Mike."

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone that reviewed. I'm glad you all like the story.**

**Love it! Hate it! Feel free to flame it!  
****Whitelight72**


	3. Hold On

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 3  
Hold On**

_Your days; you say they're way too long  
And your nights; you can't sleep at all  
Hold on  
And you're not sure what you're waiting for  
but you don't want to no more  
And you're not sure what you're looking for  
but you don't want to no more_

_-Good Charlotte_

"There's a new coven on its way to Anchorage," Demetri commented dryly.

"And you know this… how?" I questioned, rolling over in my bed to face him. He was lounging on his own bed, his hands resting behind his head and his legs hanging off the side. His position, so similar to Edward's, made me squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, before opening them once more and smiling curiously at him.

"Aro likes to keep tabs on the area. He's very protective of his stregoni benefici," he replied laughingly. I rolled my eyes, vaguely wondering _how_ he kept tabs on me when I was on a whole other continent.

I shook my head and started to leave the room. "Where are you going?" he asked immediately. Again, my eyes rolled; he's like…_him_; I couldn't bring myself to say his name.

"It's that time of the month. I'm going hunting," I said as though this were the most obvious thing in the world. His face brightened and he jumped up from his bed to follow.

"Yay," he said childishly, now reminding me of Emmett. "I'm hungry."

"Thirsty," I corrected under my breath, resulting in laughter from him. I locked the door to our dorm behind us and we both climbed into my car. After turning into a vampire, I had insisted upon getting a new car. The truck was just too slow for my enhanced senses. And although the Cullen's had offered several times to get me a new car, I no longer had the option of their large bank account, and therefore settled for a new Eclipse Spyder model. It was still a bit pricey for me, about 30 grand, but still not as expensive as half the Cullen's' cars. The fact that I had almost no need to sleep greatly helped me in paying for it; I was able to work more hours than a normal college student would.

We drove down the highway in silence; Demetri knew me well enough by now to know better than to turn on the radio. I didn't listen to music. He never really pushed me to tell him why, but I knew he was extremely curious as to why the first time we rode in a car together, he turned on the radio, and I had such a panic attack that I swerved off the side of the road.

"Here we are," I said, pulling the car off the side road and parking on the edge of the woods.

We went our separate ways once we got into the woods. He liked to hunt moose, while I preferred wolves. It shocked me, that I preferred wolves. Originally I had been horrified at the fact that I was hunting wolves; Jacob was werewolf! However, after seeing a real wolf up close, they actually looked very different.

.xoxo.

"Get any wolves tonight?" Demetri asked curiously.

I scowled. "No. I couldn't find any. I had to settle for a bear."

He rolled his eyes. "I would've enjoyed a nice bear."

"Did you get your moose?" I asked scathingly. He nodded. "Then shut up."

"Someone's cranky," he commented.

"Someone's annoyed," I replied.

I shot Demetri a look and rolled onto my back, staring at my ceiling. You never realize how long life can seem until you can't sleep. I was bored out of my mind; I had finished all my homework. I jumped up.

"I'm going to go do some volunteer work at the hospital," I suggested. I knew I needed the volunteer hours; they looked good on records and such. They weren't required_ yet_, but as I got further in the medical career, they would be.

He rolled his eyes. "_I_ don't even have enough self-control for that."

"I'm not you," I reminded him. "Remember, I'm not drawn to human blood. At all."

He followed me to the parking lot nonetheless. "I thought you weren't coming."

"I never said that," he said, getting into the drivers seat.

"Excuse me, this is _my_ car. And why are you coming if you don't have enough self-control?"

He didn't move from the drivers seat. "I'll wait out in the alley and you can see me on breaks." He wore an eager smile.

"You want to spar," I said; it wasn't a question.

"Yes," he breathed. "I'm getting so bored. And there's a new coven on the way, so you need to practice."

I nodded as he pulled into the parking lot at Alaska Regional Hospital and parked. "Alright." I pointed to an alley on the right of the building. "Go there. I'll see you when I take breaks." I got out of the car before he could say anything else and headed into the hospital.

"Hello," I said kindly to the receptionist at the front counter. "I'm Isabella Swan. I'm a med student at U of A; I was wondering if it might be possible for me to get in some volunteer hours tonight."

The woman looked scathingly at my appearance. I looked kind of odd, I'll admit. My once long, brown hair was now short and choppy, barely hitting my neck, and was much closer to black than brown. I was wearing a corset top, which clearly showed my ripples of muscle, and a pair of Tripp pants, chains and all. Demetri seemed to like the gothic look better. "I'm sorry, we don't usually allow students at this time. You should come back during more appropriate hours." She didn't look sorry at all.

"Well, you see," I argued. "I have my classes arranged in a bit of an odd schedule and this is really the only free time that I've got. I sleep early in the evening, so my nights are free."

Another man, a young doctor, looked at me leeringly. "Aw, don't be like that Susan. If she wants to volunteer, who're we to turn her away?" He motioned for me to follow him. "Come on, you can shadow me."

I smiled thankfully and hurried behind the counter, ignoring the scowl the woman gave me.

"I'm Dr. Chase," the man said. "I'm the Head of Diagnostics." I started; he was so young. "Yes, I know, but I graduated top of my class, a year early, and the previous head was retiring. They said I was best for the job." He shrugged. "It amazed me that I got such a good job and such a young age. So, tell me a bit about yourself."

"Um, my name is Isabella Swan, I'm a first year med student, I finished top of the class in pre-med."

"Where you from?"

"Um, originally, Phoenix, but then I moved in with my dad my junior year of high school in Forks, Washington."

"How old are you?"

"22," I replied. And this was true, my body technically hadn't aged over 18, but I have existed for 22 years. "So, are you the big boss man?" I asked, holding back a smile.

"Eh, I'm head of my department, but not the best doctor in the hospital."

"Oh?" I said, surprised that he would admit that. "Who is?"

"Dr. Cullen," he responded. What? No. No way in hell could this be happening. "He easily bests me. He's a great man though."

"Carlisle," I choked out. "Carlisle Cullen?"

"Yes," he said, shocked. "Do you know him?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, no, I've heard of him. You're right, he's an excellent doctor."

"Come on, I've got a couple doctors who're supposed to be meeting me in my office. You can sit in during our differential diagnosis."

I smiled. "That would be great. Thanks."

We walked to his office. Three doctors were sitting lazily in the room, waiting for him. "This is Isabella Swan," he introduced. "She's going to be shadowing me for a while. She's a med student at U of A.

"Isabella, this is Dr. Blair, Dr. Brennan, and Dr. Meyer." He looked around. "Damn it, where's Halse at?"

"She's got NICU this week," Blair responded.

"Oh, right. I should've known that," Chase told himself. "Anyway, what's the case?"

I sat there for about thirty minutes, listening to them toss out ideas and consider them. I spoke up a few times, offering suggestions. We were all just about to leave when his office door opened.

"Dr. Halse, you're late," Chase said.

"That's a great possibility if I were Dr. Halse," the smooth voice replied, smilingly. Oh no. He's not here. I'm dreaming. I covered my face with my hands.

"Dr. Cullen!" Chase exclaimed. "This is a pleasant surprise. What do you need?"

"Actually, I'm a bit short handed today. Do you have anyone to spare?"

"Sorry, not particularly. Halse is working NICU today. Although, if you explain enough to her…" I knew where he was going with this and winced as he turned to me. I looked at him warily. "Isabella, I suppose you could shadow Dr. Cullen for a while."

"Shadow?" Carlisle asked curiously.

"Yes, Dr. Cullen, I'd like you to meet Isabella Swan." I cringed. "She's a med student at U of A. She's been shadowing me, but she's pretty smart. I'm sure she would be of some help to you."

"Swan? Bella Swan?" he choked out.

I removed my hands from over my eyes and peeked up at Carlisle's shocked face. "Dr. Cullen," I said formally. "I'm Isabella Swan. I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to meet you." I walked over to him and extended my hand. Still in awe, he reached out and shook my hand with his icy cold one.

"Yes, that would be great, Dr. Chase. Thank you," Carlisle said to Dr. Chase. "Come on now, Ms. Swan."

I winced and followed him out the door. I could see the wheels turning in his head as we walked down the halls. We stopped walking in a deserted hall and he spun to look at me, taking in my appearance. I must admit, I did look rather frightening. "What happened to you, Bella?" he whispered.

I ignored his question. "Don't you dare tell him, Carlisle," I said.

He looked at me, shocked. "Why ever not?"

I looked away, hiding my anguish. "He won't want to know," I said, my voice filled with obvious pain. "It'll just annoy him. It's better for everyone that he doesn't know I'm here."

Carlisle didn't answer, and I felt my cell phone vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and flipped it open. "Yes Demetri," I said as I held the phone to my ear.

"You've been in there forever," he complained. "When are you coming out to play?"

I lowered my voice to respond, though I knew Carlisle would still be able to hear me. "First of all, I've barely been in here for an hour. And I'll come out later, ok. I'm volunteering, I can't just take random breaks to come out and entertain you. Go find some other play mate for a while." I thought about that. "Actually, no, don't. Just get over yourself. I'll see you later." I snapped my phone shut before he could say goodbye.

I glanced over at Carlisle. I'd never seen him like this, never seen him… well, angry. "Is that why you don't want me to tell Edward?" he asked, fighting to keep his voice calm.

For a fleeting moment, I had no idea what he was talking about. After a second, it hit me full force. "Are you kidding me?" I hissed incredulously. "No! And even if it was, that's the way Edward wanted it. He's got no room to judge me anymore, nor do you. I'm trying to get on with my life. I'm sorry I can't just fall out of love with him as easily as he can with me."

We didn't speak for a while, with the exception of the few comments he threw in when we were dealing with patients in the ER. For some odd reason, my words seemed to have confused him.

After a couple hours in the ER, I decided it would be best to go out and spar a bit with Demetri. "Hey Carlisle." He looked up at me from his patient. "I'm going to go meet someone real quick. I'll be back in about 15 minutes, ok?"

He nodded. "Sure, that's fine Bella."

I walked briskly through the hospital and out a side door. The minute I was out the door, someone leapt at me, pinning me to the ground. I looked up into the excited eyes of Demetri. "And what if that hadn't been me?"

"I could smell you," he replied, still not moving. I shoved his shoulders and he flew back. He jumped to his feet, crouching down into an attack position. I copied his movements.

"You know, this is really stupid," I said as I dodged a punch. "We could get caught out here."

He shrugged as we circled each other. I threw a punch and he ducked, grabbing my arm and spinning me behind him. I stumbled as he threw me away from him, and jumped up to avoid his foot that tried to knock me over. I went for a punch once again and he ducked out of the way at the last minute. I didn't think to stop myself as my fist went flying into the brick wall and I heard the bones in my knuckles snap.

"Ow, shit!" I cursed loudly. Demetri hurried to my side and carefully lifted my hand to examine it.

"You broke your knuckles," he said, chuckling.

"It hurts," I groaned. I was usually much better with handling pain.

He slid his arm around my shoulder and held the door open for me. "Then it's a good thing we're at the hospital."

* * *

**Preview of Chapter 4: Anger Management  
**

My tires screeched as I pulled into their driveway. The car wasn't even fully stopped and I was out the door and running to the house. I burst in, not bothering to knock, and almost screamed in anger. Actually, I'm pretty sure I did. He was fighting with Edward, and I mean truly fighting. They were both at each other's throats. Emmett was on standby, no doubt ready to help his brother if it got too serious.

"Demetri!" I screamed. They both ignored me. Alice looked at me anxiously. I stepped forward and punched him hard in the shoulder with my left hand, the right was still in a cast; he flew back into the wall. Everyone in the room looked at me in awe. "I told you not to come here," I growled.

* * *

**See, isn't that exciting. Don't you want to review now.**

**Love it! Hate it! Feel free to flame it!  
Whitelight72  
**


	4. Anger Management

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Author's Note: I am SO sorry it took so long to update. I just started at a new school that's half way across the country, and I'm still getting used to everything. Right now, I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try to have it in the next week or two. No promises though.  
**

**Chapter 4  
Anger Management**

"I can go myself," I argued. "You can't be in here. It'll risk your control."

He brushed off my comment. "As long as I don't magically run into my singer, I will be fine." He led me to the ER.

"How may we help you?" the nurse asked, eyeing Demetri.

"She broke her hand," he said, pointing to me, still trying to contain his laughter.

"Oh dear, that is serious," the older woman said. "Dr. Cullen!"

I felt Demetri tense next to me. "Cullen?" he hissed.

"You have to go," I said instantly. "He's friends with Aro. He'll recognize you."

He refused. "What are the Cullens doing here?" he asked, spitting when he said their name.

"I don't know," I whispered, and before I could continue, Carlisle was standing in front of us.

He eyed my hand warily. "What did you do this time?"

"I tried to hit him," I frowned, looking at Demetri. "He ducked. Fist, meet wall. Wall, meet fist. It's broken."

It seemed Carlisle hadn't noticed Demetri until I had mentioned him. He turned to look at him, and the shock was clear on his face.

"You see," I hissed at Demetri. "I told you he'd recognize you."

"A bit of privacy," Demetri suggested smoothly, ignoring me. Carlisle nodded and motioned for us to follow him. He led us to a hospital room and helped me onto the bed while he went about fixing my hand.

"Why are you here?" Demetri demanded.

"I could ask the same of you," Carlisle commented evenly. "You're awfully far from Italy."

"I'm attending the University of Alaska," he said simply.

"Why?" Carlisle questioned, although he looked as though he already knew the answer.

"Because Isabella is," he replied.

Carlisle spun to face me and I've never seen him look so angry. "So I was right!" he accused. "Did you ever really love Edward, Bella?" I cringed as he said _his_ name. "Or was it just about the power? The instant Edward left, did you just go gallivanting off to Italy to find another vampire to play with?"

By the time he had finished, I had tears streaming down my eyes. Demetri had moved to stand next to me, his arm comfortingly around my shoulders, glaring at Carlisle.

"Edward didn't love me!" I screamed. "He doesn't want me, he doesn't love me! Stop acting like this is all my fault!"

Carlisle was silent once again, seemingly confused by my words.

"Are you almost done?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, you're good to go."

I jumped off the bed and turned to Demetri. "Call Aro. Get me transferred."

"Bella, no," Demetri argued. "You can't let them drive you out." I glared at him. "Besides, it's not as if you'll see them often. And if you do, I'll beat his ass. I never leave your side now as it is."

"No, you won't," I scolded.

"Oh? And you're going to stop me?" I gave him a look. "Ok, yeah, good point."

I turned to Carlisle. "It's nice seeing you again, Carlisle," I said pleasantly.

.xoxo.

Demetri and I didn't talk much about the Cullens after that day. We went on about our business as if nothing had happened, as if I never saw Carlisle. I came back from work one day and found that Demetri was not there like he was supposed to be.

I looked at the clock impatiently; we had a flight to Olympia in a few hours. I threw a couple sets of clothes into a duffle, doing the same for Demetri as well, and brought both bags to my car. I needed to get to the airport, but I needed to find Demetri first.

I didn't even know where to look. I drove down the highway aimlessly, wondering where he could be. I flipped open my cell phone and dialed his number. A girl answered it.

"Hello?" she asked anxiously.

I recognized the voice, and instantly knew where Demetri was. "Where are they, Alice?" I asked hastily.

She gave me her address and hung up the phone. I wonder if she even realized who I was. I spun the car around on the highway and drove to their house, my speedometer nearing 150.

My tires screeched as I pulled into their driveway. The car wasn't even fully stopped and I was out the door and running to the house. I burst in, not bothering to knock, and almost screamed in anger. Actually, I'm pretty sure I did. He was fighting with Edward, and I mean truly fighting. They were both at each other's throats. Emmett was on standby, no doubt ready to help his brother if it got too serious.

"Demetri!" I screamed. They both ignored me. Alice looked at me anxiously. I stepped forward and punched him hard in the shoulder with my left hand, the right was still in a cast; he flew back into the wall. Everyone in the room looked at me in awe. "I told you not to come here," I growled.

"And I didn't listen," he snapped.

Stay calm. Stay calm. Don't kill him. I pointed to the door. "Get your ass in the car. We've got a plane to catch in two hours."

"But Isabella," he protested.

"Now! Or else I'm calling Aro." He hung his head like a child who just got caught doing something they knew they were supposed to be doing. He walked past me and waited at the door.

I closed my eyes tightly for a moment and then opened them, looking at Edward. "I am _so_ sorry. I told him to leave you alone. He has some anger management issues, clearly." I paused. "I'll try to stay clear of you all during the rest of my schooling so we don't have this problem again." I nodded to Edward, who still hadn't said a word.

I turned to Alice and enveloped her in a hug. "I've missed you, Alice. It was nice to see you."

"Emmett, you too." I turned back to Alice. "Tell Esme and Jasper I said hello. And Rosalie… well, I don't particularly care what you tell her. I'm sure she won't either."

"What about Carlisle?" questioned Emmett.

I held my right hand, plastered in a cast, up to them. "I've already seen him."

"What?" Edward snapped.

"I was working at Alaska Regional when I broke my knuckles. Carlisle fixed 'em up for me," I explained.

"Why didn't he tell us he'd seen you?" he demanded.

"I asked him not to," I replied quietly.

"Why?" Alice asked softly, trying to understand my train of thought.

I looked desperately at Edward for a moment, and then looked at the ground sadly. "I didn't want to bother you all. I'm sorry."

"Bother us?" Emmett asked incredulously. "Why on Earth would it bother us?"

"I-," I didn't know what to say. Didn't Edward explain this all to them? Didn't they know that Edward didn't love me?

"Because Edward told her to stay away because he didn't love her," Demetri answered.

I spun to glare at him. "Stop," I hissed.

But that just opened up the war field. "You did what!" Alice shrieked at her brother.

Demetri began speaking again. "He told Bella that he was leaving and that she couldn't come. When she asked why, he said she wasn't right for him, he didn't want her, and he didn't love her."

I cringed at the memory, praying for Demetri to stop reminding me of that day. "She went an offed herself a few months later," he finished with a glare towards Edward.

"You did what!" Edward screamed. He was standing in front of me in a flash, his hands gripping my shoulders tightly. "You _promised_! You promised me you wouldn't do anything stupid!"

I looked away; I couldn't stand the anguished look in his eyes. "It didn't matter anymore," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Nothing mattered."

_I stared up at the sky, begging God to just end all my suffering right there. I was sure there were search parties out by now; I'd been gone for at least three days. I told Charlie I was going out with some friends and I never came back. However, I also knew how secluded our meadow was, and I was sure no one would be able to find me._

_I barely heard her approach, but I didn't care._

"_Dear Isabella," she hissed. I looked slowly into the eyes of Victoria. Some part of me knew I should be scared, but I was just hopeful. God was answering my prayers; he was ending this hell called heartbreak. "Where are the Cullens?" she asked maliciously. "Especially Edward, I'd been hoping he'd watch."_

_I moaned. "He'd probably help you out if you truly wanted," I said painfully. "They're gone, all of them. Edward doesn't love me. Go ahead and kill me, I won't even put up a fight. I don't care anymore."_

"_Doesn't love you anymore," she said thoughtfully. "Well that won't do. It wouldn't bother him then if I killed you. Hm, I suppose I'll settle with hurting you instead."_

"_That's fine," I said. "I already told you, I won't even put up a fight. I'll lay here nice and still and let you kill me."_

"_Oh, but then I don't hurt you. If you want to be killed, it would bring you no harm. Instead, I'll change you. That way you can live for eternity without your one true love, just as I now have to."_

_And before I could protest, she had already dug her teeth into my neck. _

"It was the longest three days of my life," I finished. I looked at my watch. "Shit, Aro's gonna kill us if we miss our plane."

"Plane? Where are you going and why?" Alice wondered out loud.

I smiled deviously. "Olympia for pest control."

"But the massacres," Edward protested.

"Yes, that would be the point."

"You can't just take it upon yourself to put an end to the massacres the vampires are creating," Alice argued.

I edged towards the door. My hand on the door, I answered. "Actually, I'm supposed to. Ask around, look me up. Benefici comma stregoni." And I rushed out the door, a laughing Demetri following behind me. We jumped into my car and sped off before they came to their senses.

* * *

**There it was. Again, sorry for the wait. Reviews would be wonderful.**

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	5. Overbearing, Wanna Be Father

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 5  
Overbearing, Wanna Be Father**

I was vaguely aware of my surroundings. Everything was blurry and I could feel a cool hand in mine. Someone was speaking to me.

"Don't worry Isabella, sweetheart. You'll be ok. I promise you, you'll be ok," he murmured.

"Did I get them?" I asked, my voice weak.

"Yes sweetheart, you got them. All the evil vampires in Olympia are done for. You did excellently," he said softly, his words comforting.

This moment felt familiar. My vision was quickly fading, and I was reminded of when Edward, Carlisle, and Alice found me after James attacked me. This was the same, only my angel wasn't here.

.xoxo.

"I still don't understand how this is possible." Ah, there was my angel. "Vampires can't be unconscious. And she should be a long stronger than this."

"Honestly Cullen" – that must be Demetri – "don't you read at all? The stregoni benefici is half human. She's still immortal, but she can be killed any way a human can. Her skin's not as thick and her organs still function."

"Demetri, I can't believe you let this happen to her." Damn, that was Aro's voice. "I told you to watch over her."

I groaned. "Aro, why are you here?"

"You're in the hospital, Bella, where else would I be?" I opened my eyes and my room was filled with visitors. Edward was sitting in the chair next to my bed, clutching my hand in his. This brought back painful memories and I moaned again.

"What's wrong?" Demetri asked frantically. "Do I need to get Carlisle?" I glanced at Edward and he understood. "Don't touch her, Cullen," he spat. Surprised, Edward automatically released my hand. I flexed my fingers and then curled them into a fist. I tried to do the same with my right hand, but found that I couldn't. I was remotely worried until I looked over and saw that my hand was still in a cast.

"What happened, Demetri?" I asked.

"Nathan got you. We got all the newborns. I swear, I didn't even know Nathan was in town. I'm going to kill that bloody idiot next time I see him," he growled.

"How the hell did he know I was in Olympia?" I sighed. "What is he tracking me or something?"

Demetri snorted. "Stalking would be the correct term, amore." I distinctly heard Edward growl. Amore was Demetri's pet name for me; it was Italian for love. "You know how absolutely obsessed he is with you."

"Ah yes," I recalled. "His dramatic declaration of love."

"He was very angry when you laughed at him," Demetri responded.

"Yes, I suppose that's why he's so taken with killing me. He loves me so much he just wants to kill me." I shrugged. "I suppose that can make sense in some strange, sick, twisted way."

Edward cleared his throat. We looked at him. "Who's Nathan?" he asked.

"Some really annoying vampire who is absolutely in love with Isabella," Demetri responded with a grin. "She really seems to attract them, eh?" he said. Edward cringed. Demetri turned back to me. "Nathan's number what… five, six?"

"Technically, he's number two, but he's one of seven," I corrected absentmindedly. Edward stared at me, his mouth open in shock. "There was Felix, Nathan, Jeremy, that Volturi guard, Ryan, Cameron, and then Charles."

"What about Mason?" teased Demetri.

"He doesn't count," I said. "He was human. I thought we were just talking about vampires. If we want to go into humans, we could always say _la tua cantante_."

His eyes darkened. "You saved his life by keeping me from him, and he knew that. He doesn't count. I don't think he was in love with you, just grateful for you saving him."

I nodded and gave him a look. "If that helps you sleep at night," I said. And then rethinking it, said, "Well, you know what I meant."

"When can I get out of here?" I asked.

"You're not leaving until Carlisle clears you," Aro said strictly.

"Yes father," I muttered darkly, causing everyone to laugh. As if waiting for the perfect cue, Carlisle walked into the room. I looked at him pleadingly. "Please, please tell my extremely overbearing, wanna be father that I'm ok to leave."

"You can leave tomorrow," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I sighed. "But I've already slept for too long. I'll have nothing to do!"

"I'll bet Nathan could figure out a few things to do," Demetri said suggestively.

"Are we forgetting that Nathan is the reason I'm here in the first place?" I snapped. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Demetri, I love you," I said, sounding much like a child. Again, I heard a low growl emit from Edward's lips. What the hell is his problem?

Demetri just laughed. "What do you want, Isabella?"

"Will you please, please go back to my dorm and grab my laptop?" I asked, my bottom lip out in a pout. He nodded and turned to leave. "Oh," I said. He stopped at the door. "Also tell Angela that I'm here," I added. He nodded again and left the room.

I looked over at the table beside my bed. Carlisle and Edward were silent as I reached with my broken hand to grab my cell phone. I quickly dialed Jacob's number with my good hand. Billy answered.

"Billy," I said hastily. "Good, now don't you dare hang up on me. I need to speak to Jacob… or Sam. I need to speak to one of them," I explained.

"I'm sorry, Bella," Billy said, although I knew he wasn't. "Jake's busy."

"I could honestly care less if Jake is busy. My father's life is in danger and God damn it, the pack is going to do something about it."

"Charlie?" Billy asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"There was a vampire that attacked me in Olympia. He knows everything about me, and I'm not comfortable with him being in the same state as Charlie. The Cullens aren't in Forks anymore, so screw the treaty. I want someone protecting Charlie."

"I'll tell Jacob," Billy said solemnly. "We'll make sure nothing happens to Charlie."

"Thank you, Billy," I said and then clicked my phone off. Looking around the room, I noticed Carlisle had inconspicuously left me and Edward alone. I glanced up at him and his eyes bore into mine.

"I'm sorry," I breathed softly, looking away ashamed.

**Edward**

I stared at her in shock. _She's_ sorry? What on Earth does she have to be sorry for? "Why?" I asked incredulously. I stared at her, silently urging her to look at me, but she wouldn't. Her eyes stayed trained on the floor.

"I shouldn't be here. I'm sorry. I know you wanted to get away from me," she said, her voice breaking. Oh no, she still believed… She turned to look at me. "But you have to know," she said in a pleading voice. "I had no idea you were here, Edward. I-I wasn't following you, I swear."

I opened my mouth to say something, but she kept speaking. "When Aro comes back, I'll talk to him about transferring. I'll go up to the university in Fairfield."

"Bella! Bella, stop!" I said. Listening to her blame herself was tearing me up. I reached for her and grabbed her hands frantically. "I lied, ok? I lied! I'm sorry for leaving you. I thought" – my voice broke – "I thought you were better off without me. It was complete nonsense when I told you I didn't love you. It was a lie. I wanted you to move on." The disbelieving look was expected.

It had been more than four hours, and we hadn't spoken a word to each other. We sat in an uncomfortable silence until we heard raised voices down the hall. Charlie burst through the room, Jacob and Carlisle behind him, and rushed to Bella's side. Jacob frowned at Bella apologetically.

_I can't believe he has the nerve to show his face here._ Charlie glared at me. "Bella, would you mind explaining to me why you felt the need to have the La Push boys watching over me."

"There's someone after me dad. I just didn't want you in any danger," she replied simply, glaring at Jacob.

Charlie snapped his fingers in front of her face, making her turn back to him. "I'm the police chief and you're worried about _me_?"

"Um… yes." Charlie opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "And before you say it, I'm perfectly safe where I'm at. I have Demetri."

_Yes, that's right. That Demetri fellow; I like him_. It pained me that Charlie was instantly comforted by Demetri being here. _But what's he doing here?_ For a fleeting moment, I was confused. Then I realized he was thinking about me.

"What's he doing here?" Charlie demanded.

Bella immediately started defending herself. "I didn't know he was here dad, I swear. I was volunteering at the hospital the other night and I ran into Carlisle. I _didn't_ come here looking for them."

"That still doesn't explain why_he's_ here," Charlie growled; well, as much as a human can growl.

"I honestly don't know why he's here dad," she sighed. "Why don't you ask him?"

I glared at Bella. She knew how much Charlie hated me. Charlie glared at me expectantly. "Carlisle slipped and mentioned that Bella was in the hospital. I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

"What do you care?" Charlie spat angrily. _At least it's just physical hurt. I'd take this over what happened when that jackass left any day_. And then the images began flashing through Charlie's mind.

"_I've got her!" Sam Uley called, carrying Bella through the forest. Her face was sallow. There were dark circles under her eyes and she was soaking from the rain. She was so pale… paler than me._

"_Is she hurt? What happened?" Mike asked frantically._

"_No, I don't thinks she's hurt," replied Sam. "She just keeps saying 'He's gone.'"_

"_Bella, honey, are you alright?"_

_A slight flicker of recognition. "Charlie?" Her voice was weak, almost a whimper._

"_I'm right here, baby."_

_Sam passed her off to Charlie._

"_When you didn't come back, I called the Cullens, and no one answered," Charlie was saying. "Then I called the hospital, and Dr. Gerandy told me that Carlisle was gone."_

"_Where did they go?" Bella mumbled miserably. _

_Charlie stared at her in shock. "Didn't Edward tell you?"_

_I watched, pained, as she recoiled at the sound of my name. Her breath was coming in quick, quiet gasps._

"_Carlisle took a job with a big hospital in Los Angeles. I guess they threw a lot of money at him."_

_I could tell by the look on Bella's face that she knew it was a lie. We wouldn't go to sunny LA._

"_I want to know if Edward left you alone in the middle of the woods," Charlie said, his voice tight, trying to control his anger with me._

_Bella shook her head quickly, again wincing as he said my name. "It was my fault. He left me right here on the trail, in sight of the house… but I tried to follow him."_

_Charlie stood at the window, watching Bella at her truck. She sat still there for a moment, staring blankly through the windshield. All of a sudden, her head snapped down to her dashboard. She started pulling at something angrily, before getting out of her truck, slamming the door shut, and stomping in the house. _

_She came back, through the pouring rain, a couple seconds later with a toolbox in her hand. She pulled out a screwdriver and a hammer and started beating at something in her truck. _

_I winced in unison with Charlie as she pulled out a badly mangled radio; the one Emmett installed in her car on her birthday._

_Charlie and Renee were in Bella's room, suitcases out, tossing clothing into them. I heard a door shut downstairs and Bella's footsteps on the stairs. Her bedroom door opened and she stared at her parents in shock. _

"_Mom? What are you doing here?" Her tone was bleak, only a bit of curiosity shining through. "Wait, what are you guys doing?"_

"_You're going back to Florida with your mother, Bella," Charlie said. Bella snapped, screaming intelligibly. She grabbed her suitcase from her mother and started throwing the clothing onto the floor. _

"_I'm going nowhere!" she screamed._

"_Bella, honey, you need help. This isn't healthy. You need to see a doctor!" Charlie argued._

"_I'm not going!" she screamed. "I refuse!"_

_Charlie's fist slammed down on the table. Bella jumped. "We both know what's really going on here, Bella, and it's not good for you." Charlie paused and took a deep breath. "It's been months. No calls, no letters, no contact. You can't keep waiting for him."_

_Bella's eyes turned dark as she glowered at him. "I'm not waiting for anything. I don't expect anything," she said in a monotone._

"_No, please, no!" I heard Bella screaming. Charlie rose quickly and sprinted up the stairs to her bedroom. He pushed her door open quietly and Bella was lying in her bed, sleeping. Not peacefully, however. She was tossing and turning. "Edward, please. Don't leave…No." Her voice broke off into sobs as Charlie sadly closed the door once more and walked sullenly back to the living room. _

"Cullen!" Charlie yelled, waving a hand in front of my face. I snapped my eyes back to him, falling out of his thoughts.

"I care, Charlie," I said quietly. "More than you can possibly imagine. Leaving was the biggest mistake I've ever made."

_He sounds so… honest._ I could tell that the sincerity in my voice made it nearly impossible to doubt. As always though, Jacob Black proves me wrong.

_Sure, he says that now because Bella's not weak. She's suddenly good enough for him now that she's a vampire. Well, sort of a vampire. She wasn't worth it; he didn't want her when she was human. I did._

I glowered at Jacob, and when he realized I was listening to his thoughts, he flashed back to when Bella came to visit him with the motorcycles.

_She stood in their doorway, a smiled forced on her face. Her eyes were empty, hollow. She looked absolutely miserable. _

"_Bella!" he said enthusiastically, although taking in the sight of her with worry. Damn, she looks depressed, he thought._

I cringed and Jacob laughed. "That's funny," he said dryly. "You really do care, don't you?"

"You've no idea," I replied, my voice hard.

_What is he doing here?_ I spun around to see Angela, Ben, and Mike standing in the doorway.

"Carlisle," Bella asked. "May I_please_ get out of bed?"

He paused. "You really shouldn't… but I guess it would be ok."

She glanced over at me. "Can we talk?" I nodded and stood up to follow her out.

**Reviews would be wonderful.**

**Love it, hate it, feel free to flame it!**

**Whitelight72 **


	6. Distrust

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 6  
Distrust**

I stared at Edward for a moment. We were sitting across from each other in the waiting room. "You leave me one more time," I said slowly. "And we're done. I mean it. I won't take you back."

A wide smile of relief spread across his face and he was in front of me, pulling me up and wrapping his arms around my waist faster than any human reflexes would allow. Over his shoulder, I saw Demetri standing in the hall with my laptop under his arm.

I pulled back from Edward. "What the hell took you so long?" I asked, directing my words towards him. Edward turned around to look at Demetri. Demetri eyed him for a moment before turning to me. "I was speaking with Aro," he said shortly.

"And what did Aro have to say?" I asked, striding up to him and taking my laptop.

"He'll talk to you tomorrow when you get out. He really shouldn't be in the hospital," he explained shortly. He glanced over my shoulder at Edward. "He's back then?" I nodded. "Wonderful. Just bloody wonderful."

I slapped him on the arm. "Be nice." I sighed. "I should get back to my room before Carlisle comes looking for me."

Edward and Demetri nodded and followed me back to my room. I walked in and plopped down on my bed while Carlisle went about hooking me back up to the heart monitor.

"Angela," I greeted kindly.

**Edward**

Angela looked at me skeptically. _If he leaves her one more time…_Angela had always been a sweet girl. She was obviously very protective of Bella. I glanced at Ben, who had his arm wrapped around Angela's waist._That, right there; that thing who thinks he's a man, is the reason that Angela chose to turn down Princeton. He is the reason _I_ didn't go to Princeton. Because we were so worried about Bella_.

Yeah, Ben was pretty much inwardly seething. I must admit, however that he has excellent control. If I were human, I'd have no idea that he was so angry with me.

"Bella!" Angela squealed. "What happened to you?" She looked suspiciously in my direction. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Angela," Bella assured her. "I was in Olympia and some random guy just jumped me. Nothing big. I was only out for a little while."

"And your hand?" she pried.

Bella grinned. "Oh, that one was my fault. I got pissed at Demetri and tried to hit him, but he ducked and I hit a brick wall full force instead."

"What's Cullen doing here?" Ben asked. I held in my grin; he had been dying to ask.

"He goes to U of A," Mike responded.

I spun around to face him. "How did you know that?"

He shrugged. "You're in my literature class." Oh wow, I didn't realize that.

"Ok, let me specify… What is he doing _here_? As in, in your hospital room?" Ben replied.

"Um… Carlisle," Bella said, pointing to him, as though this was explanation enough.

_Still doesn't give him a reason to be here._ Wow, Ben was really pissed at me. But then I saw the memories flash through his mind, and I was grateful that he hated me. Grateful, he hated me because I hurt Bella. He cared about Bella, and for that, I was grateful.

Bella sat up in bed and looked at Charlie and Jake. "You guys should get back home," she told them. "I'll be fine." Charlie nodded and reached out and hugged Bella. He walked towards the door and paused, shooting me a cautious glance, before exiting. "Jake, watch over him," she whispered, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. I forced myself to calm down. Jacob nodded and hugged Bella, kissing the top of her head before turning to leave.

_You hurt her, Cullen, and I swear, treaty or no treaty, I'll kill you_. I simply nodded to him and he walked out of the room. The room was still overly crowded. Mike stood next to the door, and Angela and Ben were at Bella's bedside. Demetri stood, leaning against a wall at the foot of her bed. Carlisle was looking at me.

_So, how'd it go?_ I nodded and mouthed 'good'._ So, she took you back then?_ I nodded again and he smiled.

After an hour of talking, Mike, Angela, and Ben finally decided to leave. Carlisle checked in periodically, but also tended to other patients. I could see Bella holding in her laughter as Demetri and I stared at each other.

Finally, he rose and beckoned me out the door. Bella laughed as I winked at her and followed him out.

"You're not going to scare me away," I said quietly as he closed the door. "I'm not leaving, and there's no way in hell you can make me."

"Good. I don't want you to. Even if it's only been for the past hour or so, I don't think I've ever seen her so happy," Demetri replied, actually surprising me. "No, I wanted to warn you. She refuses to take him seriously, but she's being naïve about it."

"What?" I asked anxiously.

"Nathan," Demetri replied. "Bella plays him off like it's no big deal, but it is. Edward, the Volturi have been after him for decades, and still haven't managed to kill him. This man is like the supreme bad ass of evil vampires."

"And he's in love with Bella," I said.

He nodded. "Irrevocably so," he replied. "Just… Now that you're back, she's not going to want me around nonstop. I don't deny that she is extremely powerful, but I honestly don't believe she could take Nathan down. He's positively lethal."

"I'd never let anything happen to her. Whoever this Nathan character is, he won't touch her when I'm here. I can promise you that."

**Bella**

I tried to hear what they were saying outside the room, but my hearing wasn't _that_ enhanced. They knew I'd be listening, and they were purposely whispering so that I couldn't hear them. Bastards.

Carlisle, as if knowing what was running through my head, chuckled. I glared at him and he tried to hold it in, hiding behind a small smile. "I think it's cute how Demetri is so protective of you," he commented.

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't," I muttered. "I don't need to give Edward another reason to leave me."

Carlisle walked slowly over to me and perched himself on the edge of my bed. "Bella, look at me." I, of course, refused, looking anywhere but at him. I felt his hand on my chin, forcing my face towards him. "Edward is not going to leave you."

"Yeah, that's what he told you," I grumbled. "Funny, he told _me_ that too before he left last time."

He sighed, his topaz eyes staring into mine. "Bella, Edward was_ miserable_," he said, emphasizing miserable. "He won't leave you again."

I shrugged and forced myself to look away. Carlisle started to speak again, but he was cut off. "It's fine, Carlisle. Can we have a minute?" I heard Edward say from the doorway. Damn it, he must have heard everything I said. Carlisle nodded and walked out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

I felt the bed shift under Edward's weight as he sat down. "Bella, sweetheart, please look at me," he said, his voice low and pleading. I remained unresponsive. He sighed. "Bella, please believe me, I'm not going_anywhere_ without you."

"I hear what you're saying, Edward," I said, sighing. "But I've heard them all before. You promised to be here with me, forever. And yet you left, drew out my heart and smashed it, and then left. Forgive me for not immediately believing you." My voice was weak, and if it were possible, I would be crying.

"Oh God, Bella," he whispered. I felt his hands wrap around my waist, pulling me to sit in his lap. My head stayed down, staring at my hands. I felt his chest mold around my back as he pulled me tight against him and kissed the top of my head. "I'm so sorry, Bella."

**Edward**

She was shaking in my arms, crying silent sobs. How could I have ever done this to her? How could I have ever harmed my precious Bella in anyway? What is the matter with me? I had this one good thing in life, and I had to ruin it. Who knows how long it's going to take to get her to trust me again. It's okay though; we've got all of eternity.

* * *

**Yeah, I know it's kind of short. Sorry. Also, sorry it took so long to update. I was out of town for a while. Also, be warned. I've got about half of chapter 7 done and I'm going completely writers-blocky. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I'll try to make it ASAP. I'm writing like five stories at once.**

**Love it, hate it, feel free to flame it.  
Whitelight72 **


	7. Depression

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Ok, so here's the deal – I'm going out of town on Saturday, and I WILL NOT have Chapter 8 done by then. Chapter 8 is only half way through and I won't finish by then cause I have a lot to do. I figured I'd give you guys Chapter 7 before I went home. (Yes, home. My mom and I moved and we're visiting home for Thanksgiving break.) I won't be back for about a week and a half, so I can't promise when the next chapter will be up. But please enjoy Chapter 7.**

**Chapter 7  
Depression**

I lay there, on the side of her bed, watching her sleep. Carlisle came in at some point, smiling at me before leaving. She stirred slightly in her sleep, turning over.

"No, Nathan," she murmured, still sleeping. "Leave me alone. Go away."

I stroked the side of her face, trying to calm her. Her expression was worried. "No," she said again. "No, leave Edward alone." Her voice was growing louder now. She started thrashing in my arms. I tightened my grip on her. She shot up in bed, awake and screaming.

"Sh, sh, Bella," I whispered in her ear, holding her head against my shoulder and threading my fingers through her hair. "It was just a dream. You're ok."

After a few minutes, she calmed down. I knew better than to ask her about her dream; she would tell me if she felt the need to do so. Eventually, she pushed me away and started to get out of bed.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" I asked.

"Carlisle said I could leave today," she replied.

"Yes, but he didn't specify _when_ today you could leave," I countered.

"I don't particularly care. I need to go," she responded, opening drawers, looking for her clothes so she could get out of her hospital gown.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" I asked curiously.

She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "Because I'm already late for work."

"Work?" I asked, unknowingly letting disgust into my tone. "Why do you work?"

"Because Edward," she replied scathingly. "Not all of us have a rich father. If I don't get my car payment made within a week, they're going to come repo my car."

A small grin made it's way to my face. "That being said, I'm assuming you don't have your truck anymore."

"Oh God, no. It died a week after you left. It was horrible because I didn't get my car til I started college. Half my senior year I had to hitch rides with Angela. That wasn't so bad, but so often she had to stay after school and I had to get a ride with Mike or Tyler. _That_ was so annoying."

My eyes narrowed as she mentioned the two boys that had been lusting after her since she started school. "But then I got those motorcycle's and Jake helped me fix 'em up. Much to Charlie's dismay, I took to riding it to school."

I growled. "_You_rode a _motorcycle_ while you were _human_? While you were an accident prone human?"

She nodded. "Mmhmm." As though this was no big deal.

"You could've killed yourself," I hissed.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I had hopes," she replied. "It never happened, at least not on the motorcycle." She motioned towards the door before I could respond. "Now get out so I can get dressed."

I complied, walking out and closing the door behind me. A few seconds later, the door opened and she walked slowly out of the room. I held her to my body, my arm around her waist, as we walked out of the hospital. She scanned the parking lot and scowled.

Her phone was in her hands and she held it up to her ear. " Demetri!" she spat. "Where is my car?"

"Come on Bella," he whined. "I don't have a car." I laughed.

She glared at me. "And how am I supposed to get home now?" she asked.

"I'll drop the car off," he sighed.

"Good. Cause that means you're running back."

"What!" he shouted. "Why?"

"Cause the Spyder only sits two people." She clicked the phone shut before he could argue.

"He'll be here in a few minutes," she said, plopping down to sit on the concrete. I sighed and sat down next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. She leaned into me, settling her head on my chest.

.xoxo.

**Bella**

Showered and dressed for the day, I fiddled through my bathroom cabinet. Withdrawing a bottle just as I did everyday, I gave it a shake and it emitted no sound. I opened the bathroom door and threw the empty prescription bottle to Demetri.

"Run to the pharmacy and pick me up a refill, would you?"

I closed the bathroom door behind me, only to find that Demetri wasn't in the room. Instead, Edward had the bottle in his hand, looking at me curiously. Oh shit. This was not going to be a pretty explanation.

First I tried for innocence. "Oh, sorry Edward," I said. I reached out my hand to grab the bottle from him. "I thought you were Demetri. Here."

My hand swiped at air as he drew his hand back at the last possible second. "Why are you taking anti-depressants, Bella?" he asked suspiciously, glancing down at the label. I didn't bother to ask how he automatically knew they were anti-depressants; he's been through med school twice.

"Please don't make me say it," I begged. "I don't want to say it, and I guarantee you won't be happy with what you hear, so please just give me the bottle."

I reached my hand out again, but this time instead of his hand drawing away, his other hand shot forward, grabbing hold of my wrists and pulling me towards him. I tensed as he blinked in shock, feeling the uneven skin on my forearm. I tried to pull away before he could look down, but he tightened his grip.

He brushed his thumb lightly over the scars present, staring at them in horror. "Bella, you promised," he hissed out, sounding not angry, but scared – horrified.

"Well yeah, but this was after I broke the mother of all promises and got myself killed… sort of… so the cuts didn't really seem like that big of a deal…" I trailed off.

His eyes met mine, shocked. "You did this_ after_ you were changed?"

I successfully pulled away from him this time. "_You_ try being told that you're going to live forever alone because the love of your life doesn't love you. I only wanted to be changed to be with you forever; once you left, I had no desire to be a vampire."

He reached forward again and drew me into his arms. My head rested against his chest, and he buried his face in my hair. "I had no idea it would effect you so strongly. I'm so, so sorry, Bella," he whispered into my hair.

"You've already been forgiven," I said softly. "I understand why you left. You did what you thought was right. In the end, that's what everyone does."

"I'm still sorry," he replied.

"Please, just, forget it," I requested. "Just forget you ever saw the pills… or the cuts. Please." I looked away, ashamed of what I had done in my grief. It was so irresponsible of me.

"I can never forget this, Bella," he sighed. "But I won't bother you about it. You dealt with it in your own way."

**Edward**

Those horrible, horrible marks marring her beautiful skin – I would never forgive myself.

I forced a smile onto my face. "So, what are we doing today?"

* * *

Love it, hate it, feel free to flame it!  
Whitelight72 


	8. Jealousy

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 8  
Jealousy**

"If this bothers you, you don't have to be here," she said quietly to me as she tended to another patient in the ER.

"I'm _fine_ Bella, honestly," I told her, rolling my eyes.

"Alright," she muttered. "I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

Dr. Chase had been watching her the entire time. As if the look on his face wasn't obvious enough, his thoughts were practically drooling over her. I knew that I had nothing to worry about – that Bella loved me and not this other fool, but that didn't soothe that part of me that was jealous. And it was a large part of me.

I tugged on her arm as she finished up another patient. "Come on, you need lunch."

She rolled her eyes, but complied nonetheless. She stopped as we passed Chase and his patient.

"I'm going to lunch," she said. "I guess I'll be back in about 30 minutes." She looked at me to confirm the time and I nodded, smiling.

I slung an arm over her shoulder as we walked away, and she laughed softly.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"You're so cute when you're jealous," she said, smiling.

"I'm not jealous," I argued instantly. "Don't be silly. What's there to be jealous of?"

"Please," she chuckled. "The way you were glaring at Dr. Chase? You looked like you were going to try to take his head off."

She grabbed a salad and a bottle of lemonade from the counter and scooted down the line to pay for it. Before I could even reach into my pocket for my wallet, her hand wrapped around my wrist.

"I've got it," she stressed. "You've seriously got to get over this 'not letting Bella pay' thing."

"I've no idea what you're talking about," I hummed innocently.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you don't."

She pushed my hand back in my pocket and handed a couple dollars to the cashier.

I scowled. "You need to get over this 'not letting anyone buy you anything' problem. It's really annoying to all of us."

"All of us?" she questioned, her eyes lit up with amusement. She set her salad and drink down on a table and sat down. I took the seat across from her.

"Yes," I nodded. "All of us. It annoys Alice too, you know."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just don't understand why you all want to buy me things when I'm perfectly capable of paying myself."

"Because we love you and want to buy you things. It's called being polite in many cultures," I quipped.

"It's called being annoying in my culture," she replied.

"And what culture would that be?"

"It's special. I made it up. It only exists in Bella's world." I laughed as did she.

"Well, Bella's world is all that I'm concerned about," I said, smiling at her. God, how I loved this woman. I blinked a few times to refocus and saw Bella staring at me curiously.

"What?" I asked, laughing quietly at how cute she looked.

"You're face…" she trailed off. "You just, I don't know, I've never seen you look so unguarded. You were just lost in your own little world."

Bella 

I watched as a content smile came over his face. "I was thinking about how much I love you," he replied, and my heart stuttered in my chest. What did I do right in this world to deserve a man his love?

"Oh, great line," I heard someone say. Dr. Brennan sat down at the table with us. "Wonderful line, really. He's definitely a keeper, Isabella."

Edward smiled, satisfied with himself. "Bella, who is your friend?"

I rolled my eyes. As if he didn't know from reading her mind. "This is Dr. Brennan," I introduced. "She works for Dr. Chase." I chose to ignore the flare of jealously I saw in Edward's eyes.

"Dr. Brennan, this is Edward, my boyfriend."

"And does Edward always feel the need to follow you around while you volunteer at the hospital?" she teased.

"More like stalking," I muttered, but Edward laughed, knowing I was joking.

"How do you get away with that, anyway?" she asked, intrigued. "Why do they let you have free reign all over the hospital?"

I smirked and Edward rolled his eyes. "I think they're too afraid his father will quit if they reprimand him."

She looked somewhat surprised, but did a pretty good job of composing it. "Oh? And who is your father?"

"Carlisle Cullen," Edward replied before I could open my mouth to tell her. She didn't compose her shock as well this time.

"Oh! And um, Bella, how long have you and Edward been together then? Dr. Cullen only just started here a few weeks ago."

"Well, really, we just got _back_ together," Edward supplied, seeing as I had no idea how to answer. "We were pretty serious in high school until my family had to move away."

Dr. Brennan nodded, taking this information in. "I'm sorry, I'm still having trouble believing you're Carlisle Cullen's son. He's so young to have a son in college."

"Actually, I'm his youngest of five." Dr. Brennan's mouth dropped open.

"Now Edward, stop torturing the poor woman," I chastised. "They're all adopted," I explained to her. "Esme, Carlisle's wife, is, unfortunately, unable to have children. They adopted two of Esme's nieces after their parents died. Jasper and Rosalie go by the last name of Hale. And Edward, Alice, and Emmett were all adopted separately.

"Although, if you saw them all together, you'd think they'd been together since they were born. I've never seen a closer family."

The three of us continued talking quietly for a while until I finished my salad and stood from the table, Edward immediately following suit.

"Well, I guess I should get back. Is Dr. Chase still in the ER?" I asked. She nodded her head and bid us goodbye.

"So, did she pass the test?" I inquired as we headed back to the emergency room.

"She's a very nice woman," he concluded with a nod. I smiled. At least there was_someone_ in this hospital that I could trust. Well, other than the Cullen's, of course.

* * *

**A/N: This was really just a filler chapter. I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated. I'm currently in the hospital right now, and typing on my laptop. **

**I'm working on a new story called Plague. It's also BellaxEdward. Instead of Edward and the rest of the Cullen's leaving in New Moon, Bella does, because she thinks the family hates her after the incident with Jasper. Therefore, she runs away. I personally think it's better than this story is. I have about 7 chapters finished already and I should be uploading the first chapter very soon.**

** Love it, hate it, feel free to flame it!  
Whitelight72  
**


	9. Stalker

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 9  
Stalker**

I rolled over in my bed, glaring at Demetri. "Will you please turn off that garbage you call music? I have homework to do."

"I thought you appreciated music," he said. "How can you not like Italian opera?"

"I do appreciate music. _That_ is just mindless screeching. Turn. It. Off." I knew why he was doing this. He was taking advantage of the fact that he could listen to music with me around without me freaking out. Now that I had Edward back, I was normal again. I was slowing weaning off the anti-depressants and I listened to music again.

He flipped the stereo off and I heard a quiet noise on my nightstand. Without looking, I reached behind me and grabbed my vibrating phone and brought it to my ear.

"This is Bella," I answered.

"Oh, so you are okay then," that haunting voice replied. I stopped breathing. Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. You're not as scary and strong as you think you are. I'm not afraid of you." Demetri was looking at me strangely.

"Oh Bella, dearest, I don't want to hurt you… Well, at least not permanently. Imagine how pleased I was when I found a new way to hurt you without touching a single hair on your head."

My eyes darkened and by now, Demetri was sitting beside me on the bed. "What are you talking about, Nathan?" Demetri growled.

"Why, you're new family, of course!" he responded jovially. "I realize that it would be completely foolish to bother any of your friends in Volterra, but the Cullens are not nearly as well protected."

"Damn it, Nathan, now you listen to me. If you harm any of them, I will kill you. I've been nice about this, trying to ignore your annoying obsession. But this is _not_ a game anymore and you will leave the Cullens alone."

"Don't be under any assumption that you have any control over me, Isabella. I'll do what I please, and I think I'll start with the largest Cullen. Get the strongest out of the way first. What do you think?" He hung up the phone before I could reply, and it instantly dawned on me who the strongest, and clearly largest Cullen was.

I tossed my cell phone to Demetri before running to my closet to grab my purse, which I very conveniently had a few weapons in. "Call the Cullens and tell them to stay together and at their house until we get there. Make sure Emmett is safe," I instructed.

We ran out the door as he was dialing the number.

…

The Spyder screeched to a stop in front of their house and I ordered Demetri to go inside. He argued only for a moment before complying. As soon as the front door closed, I faced the forest surrounding their house.

"Okay Nathan, where are you?" I yelled into the woods. No response. "Come on, I know you're not stupid. The moment you said that on the phone, you knew I would come running to their house! You obviously want something from me."

The wind blew in my direction and his scent with it. I turned to my left and the trees were rustling. "Okay, seriously, you're hiding in a tree? What are you, a monkey? Get your ass down here."

A blur fell out of the tree, landing on his feet, crouched like a lion. He stood up straight and walked out of the trees, coming to a stop a few yards in front of me. He bowed down.

"Isabella, it's a pleasure, as always," he said smoothly. I rolled my eyes.

"I wish I could say the same. Seeing you is just annoying though."

"No need to be rude," he spoke condescendingly.

"Oh, there is every need to be rude," I snapped.

I heard arguing coming from inside the house. Someone was walking towards the front door. I made the mistake of glancing away as the door opened, and I was immediately on the ground, trapped under Nathan.

My eyes locked with Edward, and I reached out a hand to tell him to stay. Before I could release the words from my mouth, Edward was frozen in place. He couldn't leave the front porch. It was like there was an invisible barrier around the house.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. Nathan laughed from above me.

"That's not me, love. I do believe that's you. You're so concerned with protecting them that you made it so I can't get to them," he explained. "However, at the same time, you made it impossible for them to get to me to save you."

He grabbed both my hands in one of his and pinned my wrists above my head, pulling my arms up as far as they would go. I could hear the Cullens and Demetri screaming to me from inside the barrier.

"I have you right now, and I fully intend to have some fun with you," he whispered huskily in my ear, and his cool breath blew across my face.

My heart raced in fear, and although it was still beating slower than a regular human heart, Nathan grinned.

"Bella! Bella, damn it, what is going on?!?!" It was hard to distinguish between the multiple voices screaming at me, but I'm pretty sure that one was Edward.

I ignored his disgusting lips that were now pressed against my neck, his vile tongue licking its way along my skin. I couldn't do this to Edward. I couldn't force him to stand there and watch Nathan have his way with me. But I also couldn't release the strange force keeping Edward on the porch and risk Nathan hurting him.

So instead, I focused solely on the thought of wanting to keep Nathan away from me – the same way I had focused on keeping Edward and the rest of his family safe – and I turned my palm towards Nathan.

The effect was instantaneous, and it actually had me laughing. Nathan flew off my body as though I had physically thrown him like a rag doll.

"That was so cool!" I exclaimed in between my laughter. In my laughter, I had lowered both my hands. Edward, however, was still on the front porch. There was a cross between annoyance and worry on his features.

"You think you can let me come to you now?" he questioned irritably. I could just imagine him with his hands on his hips and tapping his foot and a new round of laughter erupted from my mouth as I waved my hand at the house and freed him.

Edward's arms wrapped around my waist and pulled my back tight against his chest. He breathed out a sigh of relief and buried his face in my hair.

"Don't you ever, ever do that again," he reprimanded. "You could've been killed."

I, however, could not stay serious. "But did you see the way he flew? That was amazing! I've never done that before. That was so cool!"

I looked around and noticed that Nathan had fled. I turned back to the Cullens and Demetri. They were down one member. My face instantly turned grave.

"Wait… where is Emmett?"

* * *

**Yes, I'm aware cliffhangers are evil. Insert evil laugh here**

**I haven't even started on Chapter 10, but I have an idea of what I want to do, so it shouldn't be _too_ long before I get it up. Hope you liked this chapter. Reviews would be appreciated. **

**Love it, hate it, feel free to flame it!  
Whitelight72 **


	10. Stand Off

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**A/N: I have just officially found my all time favorite part of all the books. Eclipse, Page 377.**

**_Jasper appeared quite literally out of nowhere. One second it was just Alice and me against the wall Jacob blocking our exit, and then Jasper was standing on the other side of Jake's arm, his expression terrifying._**

_**Jacob slowly pulled his arm back. It seemed like the best move, going with the assumption that he wanted to keep that arm. –**_**Okay, that last bit right there. I just love Bella being witty in her head. It totally makes the story.**

**Chapter 10  
Stand Off**

_I looked around and noticed that Nathan had fled. I turned back to the Cullens and Demetri. They were down one member. My face instantly turned grave._

"_Wait… where is Emmett?"_

"Oh, don't worry about him, Bella," Carlisle assured me. "He can take care of himself. I'm sure Nathan won't even see him."

"No damn it," I yelled out. "Nathan was after Emmett the entire time."

And before I gave them the chance to process the words, I ripped myself out of Edward's arms and took off into the forest. I could hear the Cullens yelling at me as I tore through the forest, but I ignored them.

I came to a halt in a small clearing, calming myself to try and find their scent, or hear their voices or movements. Nathan may be built for stealth, but Emmett most definitely was not.

Someone came to a fast stop next to me. I moved without thinking, crouching down and spinning my leg at their feet to knock them over. Just as my foot moved, the person jumped.

"Jesus Isabella, chill out."

"Don't sneak up on me like that Demetri," I scolded him. "And _shut up_. I'm trying to listen." Demetri obediently shut his mouth and stopped breathing, enabling me to listen clearly.

There were leaves rustling just a few hundred yards north of here… but that sounds like it's just wind. Laughter. It sounds quiet… but it sounds far away. If I were a few miles closer, I was almost positive the quiet laughter would turn into Emmett's familiar booming laughter. Without a word to Demetri – his reflexes were fast enough to follow me – I shot through the woods heading east.

Demetri's almost silent footsteps trailed very closely behind me, just as I knew they would.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Emmett's voice boomed through the forest.

There was no response, but something made Emmett laugh again. "Oh, come on. You can't hurt me." That stupid cocky attitude of his was going to get him killed. Nathan _can_ hurt him.

But his voice was loud, and I knew that meant he couldn't be very far away.

There they were. Demetri and I came to a stop near the edge of the woods. Just a few hundred feet and I could see the tree line end.

"Nathan!" I said loudly. He turned and looked at me, smirking. "Was that all a show back there then?"

He rose out of his crouched position and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I must admit I was hoping for at least a little action," he said coyly. "Mainly, I was just hoping to drive your pet insane with jealously."

"My pet?" she scoffed.

"Yes, I believe you call him Edward," he responded. "Don't worry, after I finish with this one, I'll move onto him next."

"You. Won't. Touch. Edward," I hissed. Threatening Edward was crossing the line. "Leave him out of this. You want me, that's fine, just leave the Cullens alone."

"Huh-uh," Demetri interjected. "It's not fine if he wants you. If you think you're going to pull this stupid sacrificial hero thing, forget it. You're not giving yourself up to him. I'm not about to get _my_ ass kicked when I return to the Cullens without you. Or to Aro for that matter."

I smiled. This was Demetri's way of telling me he cared too much about me to let me leave.

"Touching, really." Nathan sounded annoyed. "Can we get back to business? I have vampires to kill."

Emmett scoffed. "Dude, I've already told you, you're not going to kill me."

"Emmett, shut up," I snapped. I know I sounded angry, and I could see the hurt look cross Emmett's face when I yelled at him. However, I couldn't pause to say sorry. I would apologize later. I had more pressing matters at the moment.

The adrenaline pumped through my veins, and all clumsiness was forgotten as I leapt effortlessly from my spot in the air and did a front flip over Nathan's head. I landed directly in front of Emmett, facing Nathan again.

"Wow, where the hell did you learn to do that?" Emmett was awestruck, probably at the fact that I could complete something so complex without tripping or falling.

Nathan was slowly clapping his hands with a smirk on his face. "Now that was impressive. You've been training."

"Of course I have," I said, crouching down and glaring at him. I don't think I've ever looked more like a vampire in my life. "I have to practice to kill you."

He mirrored my position. "I'm touched that you went through all that trouble. I regret to inform you, however, that it was all a waste. _You_ can't kill _me._"

"I'm sure as hell gonna try," I growled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Demetri step forward.

"No!" I shouted. "Stay back unless I say otherwise Demetri. I'm sure you understand; this is something I need to finish on my own."

Demetri nodded in understanding. "God, I love watching this."

I leapt at Nathan, attacking. He grabbed my arm in mid air and swung me into a tree. It broke on impact and I jumped back up, the hit not even fazing me.

I executed another impressive front flip and landed behind him. I grabbed one of his arms and twisted it painfully behind his back, forcing his body to the ground.

"Too bad I couldn't be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, eh?" I quipped. "It would be so much easier if I could just stick a stake through your heart. That is, if you even have a heart. I personally don't think you do."

Edward and the rest of the Cullens burst through the trees, coming to a halt behind Demetri. I looked up. Nathan took advantage of the distraction and threw me off of him and ran.

I knocked into Edward, the force throwing us both to the ground. We groaned as we helped each other up.

"Ugh," I complained. "I really, really hate him."

"Are you alright?" Edward asked hastily, his eyes searching over my body for any sign that I was hurt.

"I'm fine, Edward," I assured him. "I'm perfectly fine. Really."

"We should get back," Demetri intruded. "I need to call Aro – tell him about your new power. He'll be thrilled."

I couldn't resist rolling my eyes. "Oh yes, Wanna-Be Daddy will be ecstatic."

* * *

**AN: Okay, so this is the second to last chapter. Next one will be the last. I had big plans for this story, but I just completely lost my Twilight Muse. Maybe I'll be inspired again when Breaking Dawn comes out in August.**

**However, if anyone likes Buffy the Vampire Slayer, stick around a bit because soon I may be posting a Buffy the Vampire Story. That is my new obsession.**

**What can I say, I love me some vampires.**

**Whitelight72**


	11. Italy or Bust

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 11  
Italy or Bust**

"No," I growled over the phone.

"But Isabella-"

I didn't let Aro continue. "No, Aro. I'm sorry, but I can't up and leave the Cullens now that Nathan knows about them. I'm not leaving them alone just to come to Italy so you can test my powers."

"Isabella, if you are so worried about the Cullens, I can easily arrange for them to accompany you to Italy. Would that ease your mind?"

"I suppose it might, but Aro, I really don't see why it's necessary. I'm not some out of control newborn. I know how to control myself."

"Isabella," he said in a warning voice. "You know I don't like to, especially when it comes to you, so don't make me pull rank on you."

"We'll be there soon. I'll let Demetri know that we need the jet." I flipped the cell phone shut before he could say anything else and then scowled down at it. I didn't want to go to Italy. I didn't like most of the people in Italy.

"Call the damn airstrip," I growled at Demetri as he walked in the door. "We're leaving when the sun goes down tonight."

"Geez, why are you in such a bad mood?" he grimaced as he pulled out his cell phone.

"I have enough _shit_ going on here," I spat out. "And besides, in case you hadn't noticed, our family in Italy is not always filled with the sweetest people. I'd rather the Cullens stayed very far away from them."

"Hold on a sec," he said to me, then spoke into his cell phone. A few moments later, he flipped it shut and gave me a look. "The Cullens are very respected in Volterra. I'm sure they'll be fine."

"Jane is not exactly their biggest fan," I grimaced. "Nor is Felix."

"No, but if she bothers them, she'll have to suffer punishment from Aro," Demetri told me, trying to pacify me.

"She's a masochist," I muttered angrily. "She enjoys the pain."

Demetri held back a smile. "Everything will be fine. Go see the Cullens and let them know they're coming with us."

My drive to the Cullens' house is short. I'm angry, so I'm speeding insanely. My tires squeal as I spin the car to a stop in front of their house. Edward was at my side before I turned the car off and he opened the door to help me out.

"Hey," he greeted, holding my hand as we walked up to the house. "What's going on?"

"Is everyone else here?" I asked nervously.

"Well, Carlisle is at work, but the rest of us are here," he said to me, wearing a cautious look.

"I have to go to Italy," I told him bluntly.

"What? Why?" a female voice asked. I spun around to see Alice behind me.

"Aro wants me to go through some trials or something because of my new power."

"You know, this whole not being able to see you thing is really annoying. Why did the vampire immunity have to advance so much when you got turned?" Alice asked with a note of irritation. "At least when you were human I could see into your future."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Alice," I replied smilingly. "I promise, it wasn't intentional."

"So how long are you going to be gone?" she asked sadly.

"However long Aro decides to keep me there." I paused for a moment, seeing the upset look on their faces. "The jet leaves at dusk. You have until then to let everyone know and to pack. You're all going with me."

A huge smile spread across Edward's face. "We're going with you?"

"Of course," I replied simply.

"All of us?" Alice asked curiously.

"Yes. I can't just leave you all here with Nathan on the loose," I explained. "And I can't imagine being away from Edward for a long period of time."

All I heard from Alice was an unintelligible squeal as she ran up the stairs. "She's packing," Edward provided, having heard her thoughts.

"Of course – packing for everyone, right?" I asked. Alice had a way with making sure _everyone _had much more than they actually needed.

"Yes," he replied lightly. "She's already complaining in her mind that she can't pack for you because you don't have clothes at our house. Don't worry though; she intends to change that when we're in Italy." He grinned at me. "The most beautiful and expensive clothing is made in Italy, apparently."

I groaned. "I don't _need_ more clothes," I complained. "Demetri and Aro already make sure I have _way_ more clothing than I need."

"That won't stop me!" Alice called from upstairs, resulting in a groan from me and a smirk from Edward.

.xoxo.

"I stick by my earlier views that this is completely unnecessary," I hissed to Demetri as we drove out to a secluded private airstrip. The private airstrip hadn't been here before; Aro had it put in when I decided to go to the University of Alaska. He enjoyed spending money on me almost as much as Alice did.

"I don't care, nor does Aro, so just give it a rest," he replied uncaringly.

I huffed and turned around without responding to him. Demetri had become like a big brother to me; loving but annoying as hell. He was kind of like Jake, actually, except Jake was in love with me whereas Demetri was not.

Things with Jacob and me were strange, but not to the point of being awkward, which I was very thankful for. Jacob knew I loved him, but he knew it was a brotherly love. He never tried to change my mind, because he knew it was unchangeable. Just like he was unable to stop being in love with me. I keep hoping he'll meet someone and imprint. He deserves the love and happiness that I would never be capable of giving him. My heart has always been and will always be way too wrapped up in Edward.

"Bella? Bella?" I blinked a few times and noticed Edward's hand waving in front of my face. "You spaced out. You alright, love?"

He was so concerned over such simple things. "Yes, Edward, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"You're alright?" he confirmed.

I took his hand and nodded. "Perfectly fine, although perhaps a bit annoyed." We walked onto the plane, hand-in-hand.

…

The flight was long, and being unable to sleep made it extremely boring. Rosalie and Emmett took advantage of the flight time, using the several private areas on the jet to ensure they were part of the mile high club.

Carlisle spent most of his time on his cell phone consulting with doctors at the hospital in Alaska. I felt horrible for interrupting his work, but better safe than sorry. Alice was curled into a ball on Jasper's lap, content to just cuddle into her husband. Esme was reading a book and Edward was watching me. Me? I was pacing up and down the aisles.

"Isabella, I beg you, please sit down. You're giving me a headache!" Demetri begged. "I assure you, everything will be fine."

"Things will not be _fine_," I told him. "Most of the Volturi absolutely loathe me. Ha, can't imagine why. None of them can touch me because of my power, so what do we do, we bring the Cullens! What the hell was I thinking?!"

"Bella, Bella, calm down." Edward had risen out of his seat and had a hand wrapped around each of my forearms. "We can take care of ourselves. I promise everything will be fine."

I gave him a dark look. "I'll be holding you to your word," I muttered as I finally took my seat.

.xoxo.

We landed in Italy around noon on another private airstrip, courtesy of the Volturi. Jane was there to greet us.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

I was forced to hold back my laughter when the Cullens all gave me incredulous looks – dirty words coming out of innocent Bella's mouth!?

"Why are you here, Jane?" I growled at her.

"I was sent to escort you back to Volterra," she said sweetly, though I'm sure no one believed she was at all happy to be there.

"Somehow I doubt that," I replied. "Aro's not this stupid."

"He sent me," said Jane, and I decided not to argue. I rolled my eyes towards Demetri, and he returned it with a look telling me to behave.

Never.

* * *

**Ah. I'm so sorry it took me so long. Blame the major writer's block! Hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'll try to make the next one longer.**

**Whitelight72  
**


	12. Not So Warm Welcome

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 12  
Not So Warm Welcome**

I can't believe he sent Jane to greet me. I mean… I seriously don't believe he would do this. This is more something Marcus would do. Marcus never did like me.

"Stop pouting," Demetri scolded me as I watched the Cullens load into the back of the limo.

"I didn't want her around them," I told him tersely.

"Isabella, she's not stupid enough to do anything with you here."

"That's not the point," I argued. "I don't even want to be here. The only members of the Volturi I like are Aro, you, Vanni, and on occasion Heidi."

"Speaking of, Vanni is not here," Jane cut in.

"What?" I asked sharply. "Why the hell not?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," Jane returned. "Aro is waiting to discuss it with you when we arrive."

"Is Vanni alright?"

"Aro will explain everything when we return to the city," she replied. She looked positively gleeful, so whatever it was, it wasn't good.

An explanation, perhaps? Vanni Monacelli is… well, I made her. I befriended her in Italy while she was a human, and then she had been taken by Heidi for feeding. I'd managed to get to her before anyone fed off her. However, by order of the Volturi, any human that is aware of the existence of vampires, must either die or be changed. So I changed her.

If something happened to Vanni, I'm going to be furious. And I'm taking out my anger on Jane. Bitch.

Jane, displaying absolutely none of her required Volturi manners, got in the passenger seat of the limo. Demetri and I simultaneously rolled our eyes and he walked forward to hold open the back door for us.

The Cullen's all filed in, then me, and Demetri followed, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Her lack of respect for you is upsetting," Demetri murmured as he took a seat on my left side; Edward was on my right.

I shrugged, hoping he wouldn't make a big deal about it. Not here. "I'm used to it. It doesn't bother me. Besides, I don't care whether or not she likes me – I don't generally spend a lot of time in Italy anyway. And Aro is usually smart enough to keep us separated."

"Something's going down," Demetri whispered in my ear, so quietly that only Edward and I could hear. I squeezed Edward's hand as a sign to not say anything. I didn't want to worry the rest of the Cullen's until I knew what was going on. I nodded at Demetri in agreement – something bad was on the horizon. Maybe there was a bigger reason that Aro wanted me in Volterra.

The car ride was short and awkward. The barrier was down between the driver's seat and the back, and Jane was constantly turning around in her seat and glaring at me.

I raised my eyebrows at her as she so blatantly stared. Seriously, the girl had no manners whatsoever. It was really starting to annoy me. Honestly, she had absolutely no respect for her superiors.

.xoxo.

**Edward**

As soon as we arrived, the limo door was pulled open and there was a hand reaching in to help Bella out of the limo. She grasped the hand firmly and used it as leverage to pull herself up. We all followed her out, without the wonderful help she got. As I was stepping out, I watched as one of the vampires – I couldn't see the face, it was covered by his cloak – held out a black cloak with deep purple stitching. I didn't know much about the ranking system among the Volturi, but according to Carlisle's thoughts, the color of her cloak was pretty significant.

_How on Earth did Bella advance so quickly? It took Jane decades to reach where she is, and Bella is her superior._

Hmm, superior, that's interesting. Another cloak was handed to Demetri, the same color as the cloak that Jane was putting on. It was dark green, signifying a member of the guard. Interesting, so Bella was also higher ranked than Demetri.

Jasper's thoughts were focused on the way Bella was flanked.

_Demetri takes position on her right side, meaning he's her main protection. That doesn't surprise me, considering the way he watched over her in Forks. The other two guards take their places – one on the left and one in front – Jane lags behind; she clearly doesn't want to be here. _

"These are for all of you," Demetri said, handing us the cloaks. They were golden – much like the color of our eyes after a hunt. "They're for visitors and they will allow you to roam most of the castle freely."

"Most?" Alice piped up.

"There are, of course, restricted areas," Bella mentioned. "But don't worry, there are area's they aren't allowed in either," she continued, motioning to her 'guard'.

"Isabella," one of them murmured to her, "we should really be going. Aro has requested your presence."

She nodded at him. "Of course, Ehno. Andremo ora."

_Bella can speak Italian, now._ Alice sounded impressed.

We followed them through what I'm assuming were underground tunnels. It was eerily silent, but their thoughts were not.

_I so wish they would tell us what was going on. This is really getting tiring._ The one Bella called Ehno was irritated at being left in the dark, and Demetri's thoughts were occupied with worrying about Bella and Nathan.

"I don't suppose you could tell me anything about Vanni, could you Ehno?" Bella questioned as we reached the castle.

"I'm terribly sorry, Isabella, but you should know as well as I that we are never informed of anything going on unless you tell us. Jane knows, but she likes to pretend she's above all of us so she won't tell us anything."

"Obviously I am if I know and you don't," Jane replied.

"Amazing how you can walk straight with your nose so far up in the air like that, Jane. And the only reason you know what's going on before everyone else is because you listen in on private meetings through the air vents."

It amazed me that _anyone,_ let alone Bella, had the nerve to speak with Jane like that. Surely she knew of Jane's deadly powers. I glanced at Jane and noticed her glaring intensely at the back of Bella's head. I was worried immediately – that was the look she wore when inflicting her pain. But Bella seemed completely unaffected. In fact…

"I can _feel_ your eyes glaring holes into the back of my head. How's that going for you, Jane? Still completely useless on me?"

I heard Jane hiss for a moment, and before I knew what hit me, I was writhing on the ground in excruciating pain.

* * *

**Translations:**

**Italian – Andremo ora – We'll be going now.**

**Hope you liked it. Next chapter should be exciting.**

**Whitelight72  
**


	13. Hit The Ground Running

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Chapter 13  
Hit The Ground Running**

**Bella**

And then I killed Jane.

No, I'm joking. I didn't kill her, as much as I deeply wanted to. No, in fact, Edward was only in pain for a few short moments. That's about how long it took me to appear behind her and twist her arm painfully behind her back.

"Stop," I hissed in her ear, "or I'll rip you to shreds – starting with this arm." I tightened my grip on her arm, and she squirmed, trying to get away from me. Edward stopped writhing on the ground and leapt to his feet. "See Jane, this all works so much better when we all get along."

"Will you let go of my arm now?" she growled.

"Are you going to play nice?" I returned.

She sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

I reluctantly released her arm and pushed her towards the front of my guard. "You're walking in front of us from now on."

It only took about another minute to reach the main lobby. "Buon giorno, Gianna," I greeted the human secretary.

"Oh, buon giorno, Miss Isabella. The Masters have been waiting for you to arrive."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I expect they have. I'll just go on in then." She nodded at me and pressed the button to open the door.

A low murmur of 'Dorso benvenuto, Isabella' and 'Buon giorno, Isabella' were heard as I passed various members of the guard. When we entered the throne room, Aro was nowhere to be seen, but Caius and Marcus were both there.

"And here I thought Aro was requesting me," I said as a way of announcing myself. Caius stood gracefully and met me halfway through the room. He held my hands caringly, as though I were his daughter. I practically am, I suppose.

"Isabella, yes, Aro had wished to see you, but we decided that it was best if I explained what was going on first. I have a much better way with words than Aro." I nodded, waiting for him to go on. "As I'm sure you've noticed, Nathan's obsession with you has become rather dangerous. He's been recruiting like crazy and he's got a large army behind him now. He… or possibly one of his army, was in Italy not too long ago while Heidi and Vanni were out shopping. They managed to catch them while they were separated. From what I understand, Heidi was in a dressing room trying on clothes and they snatched Vanni away without a sound."

"Vanni is… she's not dead?" I clarified, focusing on breathing in and out. It was painful.

"We're not sure, but we're assuming she's not. My best guess is that Nathan is holding her hostage. She's still so young – she's not been a vampire long enough to efficiently defend herself like the Cullen's can, which is probably why Nathan targeted her."

I took a deep breath. "Demetri, Ehno, please escort the Cullen's to their rooms. I have some things to take care of."

_I don't want them to have to see me like this._

I kept my eyes trained on the floor as they followed Demetri and Ehno out of the room. I could sense Edward's eyes on me, pleading with me to look at him, but I couldn't. This was my mess, and somehow I'd once again brought danger to the Cullen family. But I would fix this.

"Eran, please call down to CCO, let them know I'm on my way." Eran, Demetri, Ehno, and Vanni made up my personal guard.

Eran had to walk quickly to keep my pace and I strode through the castle to CCO downstairs. The door had a placard on the front reading 'Department of Counterintelligence and Covert Operations.'

I pushed open the door and was immediately greeted by a vampire named Jared. He was one-hundred percent American, and I'm pretty sure he and I were the only ones.

"Isabella, imagine seeing you down here. Eran" – he nodded toward the vampire behind me – "called ahead and said you were on your way. I presume you've been told about Vanni, then?"

"How did you know about Vanni?" I questioned suspiciously.

"Isabella," he tsked. "I am Jared. I know everything that goes on around here."

"You've got the castle bugged, don't you?" I asked laughingly. He nodded and put a finger up to his lips. "Don't worry," I assured him, "I won't say a word."

"So you want a team to help you hunt down Nathan?" he guessed as the atmosphere became serious again. I nodded. "Do you have any idea where she might be?"

"No, I'm going to tap into the INTERPOL main frame and see where there have been a lot of suspicious kills. Then I'm going to said place, probably accompanied by Eran, Ehno, Demetri, and… I'm thinking Akiko."

"You want Akiko as your fourth guard member?" he clarified.

"For the time being." I nodded. "Vanni is my actual fourth guard, but since she's the reason this is happening, Akiko will step in. She's a good fighter."

"She's a little maniac," Jared agreed. "She's actually in the training room right now. Shall we go speak with her?"

.xoxo.

Fucking Switzerland. We were in fucking Switzerland. Why? Because that's where it looks like Nathan is at. And of course, I couldn't manage this with just my four guard members.

"_Hurry up," I hissed at Demetri, who was leisurely packing his suitcase._

"_Isabella, the plane will not leave without us," he assured me._

"_I want out of here before the Cullens catch wind of my leaving."_

"_Too late for that," someone murmured from the doorway. I spun quickly, staring at the four bodies in the doorframe. _

"_You're not coming," I said immediately. "It's too dangerous and I've already put your family through enough. This is my problem."_

"_We didn't tell the others," he said, trying to pacify me. "Edward only just heard someone thinking about it and we thought it would be best if you had some of us come along."_

"_I've already caused your family enough grief, Carlisle," I tried to explain. "I don't want any of you to get hurt."_

Of course, they didn't listen to me. So now, not only were Demetri, Ehno, Eran, and Akiko with me, but also Edward, Carlisle, Jasper, and Alice. I was sure if given the opportunity, they all would have tagged along, but Carlisle informed me that he was aware I wouldn't want so many of them with me, and they managed to sneak away from Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme. He also confided that he would have a lot of making up to do when we returned – Esme would be furious with him. According to him, an angry Esme was frightening. I just laughed, imagining such a sweet woman being angry. I can't really imagine her ever being angry at me.

The plane ride was tense, and Demetri – who reminded me a lot of Emmett – was eager for a fight. He and Akiko were fighting in the back.

"If you knock a hole in this plane, Demetri Volturi, I will kick your ass! Calm the fuck down!"

Everyone stared at me in shock, with the exception of Jasper. He walked over to my seat and pulled me up from the arm. Edward sent him a questioning look, and Jasper responded in his mind. Edward nodded, and that was the end of their conversation.

Jasper pulled me up a couple rows and sat down in a seat next to me. "Why are you so stressed, Bella? We have them outnumbered, and we're all pretty sure your friend is still alive. If you go into battle like this, you're going to be distracted and you're going to get hurt."

"Everything has just… exploded lately, Jasper. I was kind of semi-content in Alaska, and then all of a sudden, you guys are back and you're there and you don't hate me, but then Nathan's back and he'll try to kill Edward because he'll be jealous, but then Edward will be so caught up in trying to protect me that he'll end up getting himself killed and I'd never be able to live with myself if I got any of you hurt. I've already caused your family so many problems and you all should rightfully hate me, but you don't, and I don't understand it because I don't deserve any of you and I definitely don't deserve Edward…" I rambled all in one breath, and by the time I was finished I had to inhale deeply several times to get air flowing again.

He grabbed my hands tightly, trying to comfort me. "Bella, you are worth any trouble we've gone through. You are _family_ to us. Edward has told you so many times that you don't see yourself clearly, and he's right, Bella. You were a beautiful human, and you've grown into a beautiful," he paused. "…half-vampire I guess. You are a wonderful person. You are the most caring person I've ever known, and you are the most deserving person of Edward I've ever met. You two complement each other perfectly, and you need to see that. You both feel so guilty for dragging the other one down, you guys don't see it. But all the rest of us do, and we wish you both nothing but an eternity of happiness."

He reached out of his seat to wrap me in a brotherly hug, and I returned it tightly. "I love you all so much," I whispered quietly. "Promise me you'll be careful today, Jasper. I don't fancy seeing Alice if we have to return to Italy without you.

"Isabella, the plane is landing," Demetri called. I sighed. Time for battle.

.xoxo.

_Hit the ground and I'm still running  
But I need a place to stay tonight  
Swear I'll be gone in the morning  
I just need somewhere now to close my eyes_

_

* * *

_**Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've had this chapter done for like two weeks, but I've been having some computer issues. It keeps kicking me offline whenever I try to upload something, so hopefully it's going to work this time. I can't make any promises, but I'll definitely try to have the next chapter up sometime this week. I'll have tons of free time since I'm on spring break now. I'm thinking the next chapter will be the last, and then the epilogue. **

**The song by the way is Voices Off Camera by Rise Against.  
**

**Whitelight72**


	14. How Far We've Come

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Go figure.**

**Okay, so I lied to myself. I told myself many times that this was going to be the last one, but it's not. There will be another chapter after this. Also, this chapter will contain the first ever lemon I've ever published, and there will be two. If sex offends you, don't read it. That's all I've got to say. SO sorry it took so long.**

**Also, I've got a new literature website. It's a Yahoo!Group called Slifka MD. The link is on my profile. Check it out and join. The first chapter of my next Twilight story, Plague, is already there.

* * *

**

**Chapter 14  
How Far We've Come**

**-  
**_I'm waking up at the start of the end of the world  
But it's feeling just like every other morning before  
Now I wonder what my life is gonna mean if it's gone  
-_

"Can we trace where he is?" I asked, turning to Demetri.

He rolled his eyes at her. "If you wanted a tracker, you should have brought Felix along. I'm the brawn, not the brains."

"I would hardly call Felix the brains of anything," I mumbled under my breath.

"I see us fighting him in the Bergamo Alps," Alice provided.

"That's southeast of here," Akiko announced, her nose buried in a map. Ehno and Eran were both quiet, standing passively on the side.

"We shouldn't run," Carlisle input his advice. "We'll want to be at our full strength when we go up against Nathan and his army. We're not even sure of his army size, and Bergano Alps is a decent sized mountain range – he could be anywhere."

"And just because Miss Cullen saw us fighting there," Ehno said quietly, "does not mean that it will be the first place we fight him. We could be here for a long while."

"Point," I acknowledged. "We run to the nearest city, find us somewhere to rent cars, and we drive," I suggested.

Everyone agreed. Bern was the capital city, and we were only about a hundred miles away. It was a short run that only took us about 45 minutes. The woman behind the counter at the rental car company was blonde and looked to be about 25 years old. I could tell by the way she was looking at Alice, Akiko, and I that she was wondering how on Earth we got so lucky to be traveling with such amazing looking men. I internally laughed. If only she knew.

We rented three cars. We would have made it in two, but this would be more comfortable and we could get faster cars if we got smaller ones. Besides, I paid using a Volturi credit card, so what do I care how much it costs?

Alice drove, of course, a Porsche, and Jasper and Carlisle went with her. Ehno had himself an Audi and had Eran and Akiko as his passengers. Edward chose an Aston Martin, of course, and Demetri and I rode with him. They both refused to let me out of their site. Seriously, it was getting ridiculous. I think I've proved by now that I can take care of myself.

_-  
Cars are moving like a half a mile an hour and I  
Started staring at the passengers waving goodbye  
Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time  
-_

Our car ride was mostly silent. Demetri looked deep in thought – probably planning battle strategies. It's pretty much all he ever thinks about. I wonder if Edward appreciates his power. I mean, to know what everyone is thinking every moment of every day – what an advantage! I wonder though; he complains that it gets irritating listening to humans and their trivial thoughts. I wonder if things would have been different if he had been able to listen to my thoughts from the beginning.

Would he have found me to be as trivial as the rest of the human population? If he had known how obsessed I was with him in the beginning, would he have been just as disgusted with me as he had been with Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory? Would he have hesitated to kill me if he hadn't been so intrigued by me? Things I'll never know.

_Welcome to Thun._

**Edward**

I was worried about Bella, as always. The entire car ride she said nothing – just held her knees to her chest, curled up and staring out the window. She was blaming herself for everything, just like she always did.

_Is she going to be okay?_

I met Demetri's eyes through the rearview mirror. I rolled my eyes and he chuckled in his head.

_She's blaming herself._ I nodded minutely. _She always does. She always thinks everything is her fault. But she's strong, Edward. That girl has the biggest heart I've ever seen, and the only thing she's afraid of is losing you. If it comes to it Edward, she will jeopardize her own life to save yours, and I respect you, but I cannot allow that. If I have to choose, I need to you realize that my loyalty remains with her._

I nodded in understanding. I would have it no other way. I was very well aware that Bella would probably do something stupid and risk her life for mine, but I was glad Demetri would be there to watch out for her if I was unable to. I mouthed the words 'Thank You' to him through the mirror.

-  
_I believe the world is falling to the ground  
Ah, well I guess we're gonna find out  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Well I believe it all is coming to an end  
Ah, well I guess we're gonna pretend  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
-_

There was a very large possibility that I was going to die. When we stopped to rest for the night, I would prove to Bella that I love her, with all my heart. If this is going to be our last night together, I want her to remember it forever. I want her to always remember that I love her.

I wasn't the only one concerned about my loved one. Jasper was, of course, worried about Alice. He was berating himself for letting Alice come. Carlisle was happy Esme had elected to stay behind, but was regretting not being able to spend one more night with her. Akiko, the small Japanese woman was thinking of her love back in Italy, a member in the guard as well, and wondering if she'd ever see him again. Ehno and Eran seemed to live solitary existences so far, because their mind was revolved around protecting their leader, Bella. Alice was the only one that didn't seem so worried, which pulled a bit of weight off my mind. She was just wondering if Jasper was even going to let her fight, or if they'd get into another argument about it again. Jasper was insanely protective of his mate, and almost never let her put a hair out of place. Alice was small, but she could be vicious when fighting for the ones she loves.

Alice was, of course though, my other main worry. Carlisle I almost wasn't even worried about. If anyone was going to make it out of this, it was him. He was the smartest one here, and that alone would help him survive. Alice though… Alice was fiercely loyal to Bella, and while I loved Bella, Alice was my sister. Alice and I are closer than any of the others because we understand each other. We are both plagued by our 'gifts' and our inability to control them. We've spent hours in silent communication, her thinking her words to me, and me planning what to say so Alice would see the outcome without me having to respond. Alice had also picked up on my every movement from our talks. The slightest movement of my eyes and she knew when I was nodding or shaking my head. Alice was amazing, and I loved her like I didn't think it was possible to love someone in a non-romantic way. I don't know what I would do if I lost Alice.

_I love you too, brother. And don't worry, we'll make it through this seemingly unscathed. _

Alice had, of course, seen the course of my thoughts and responded from the car behind me. I glared at her through the side mirror. _No visions while you're driving, you'll wreck that beautiful Porsche. _I saw her body shake slightly with laughter, then Jasper wondered what had made her giggle.

_-  
We could turn to the clock  
But I don't really know  
And I can't remember caring for an hour  
So tired of crying and I couldn't stop myself  
Started running but there's nowhere to run to  
-_

**Carlisle**

I pulled off into the parking lot of a hotel in Bellinzona, the others following my lead. We each booked our own rooms, splitting off into pairs to spend what we were sure would be our last night together. I however, was alone. Part of me was sad, for if this were to be my last night on Earth, I would love nothing more than to spend it with Esme. The other part of me, the much more dominant and sensible part, was thrilled that I had managed to evade her when we snuck out of Italy. I'm happy she's not with us because I know I cannot concentrate while there is a chance that she may be in danger.

Akiko and Demetri roomed together in a double room next to Edward and Bella's single. I had the feeling Demetri never got very far from Bella. He was very protective of her. Enho and Eran were in the room across the hall – Bella's entourage surrounded her. Alice and Jasper were together in a room a few doors down, and I was across the hall from them.

**Jasper**

The atmosphere was calm, and for once, it was not because of me. Alice was surprisingly subdued. When we checked into the hotel, she glided over to Edward and Bella, pecked them both on the cheek, hugged Carlisle, and then the two of us were off to our room.

The bedroom door closed behind us and Alice took my hands and slowly dragged me to the bed. I'd never seen her so calm. She turned so my back was facing the bed and pushed me into a sitting position, where she then proceeded to kneel down before me and unbutton my shirt. No words were needed.

Her lips felt heavenly as they ascended my abdomen, slowly making their way to my own. I gave up my patience when she finally made it to my mouth and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her on top of me. She straddled me without protest and her hands worked their way into my hair, pulling at the ends and massaging my scalp.

The night was long and sweet. We each took our time to remove each other's clothing. Her teeth nibbled at my neck as she pushed my shirt back off my shoulders. I stood and she wrapped her legs around my waist as she reached down to unbutton my jeans, before using her feet to push them down off my legs. I unlocked her legs from around my waist and set her feet on the floor, fully prepared to worship my pixie.

My fingers worked swiftly to remove her designer dress, and she made no argument when I let it fall to the floor. She would usually pull away and swiftly hang the dress, not wanting it to get wrinkled. She had been wearing no undergarments, and she was now completely bare in front of me. She grabs my hands and we move together back towards the bed. Her knees hit the edge of the mattress and she falls back, pulling me down on top of her. She removes my last piece of clothing, my boxers, as she simultaneously leans up and attaches her mouth to my chest. She latches on to a patch of skin and suckles, and the sensation is wonderful.

I moved towards the head board, leaning back against it so I can pull her on top of me. Her knees rested on the bed on either side of me, and I gripped her hips and lowered her down on to me. God, I could never get used to this feeling. At first, she didn't move, giving herself time to adjust – she had such a tiny body. Her spikey hair fell in front of her eyes and I lifted my hand to brush it away. Nothing should obscure her beautiful face.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, she began moving on top of me. Her unnecessary breaths were coming in short pants and she was smiling at me. I held one palm against her lower back and the other between her shoulder blades as I pulled her body close to me and sucked her nipple into my mouth. Her back arched instantly and her hands were holding my head against her.

"Oh God, Jasper…" It was breathy, barely a whisper, but I heard it. I felt her clench around me and she bit her lip to keep quiet as her juice coated me. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head and she's never looked more beautiful.

"Let's see if we can't make that happen a couple more times," I whispered in her ear, and she smiled down at me.

If this was going to be our last night, we were going to go out with a bang.

_-  
I sat down on the street  
Took a look at myself  
Said where you going man  
You know the world is heading for hell  
Say your goodbyes if you've got someone  
You can say goodbye to  
-_

**Bella**

"Everything is going to be fine," he told me for the hundredth time, but I just couldn't bring myself to believe him. "Bella, please, stop freaking out. We're all going to be fine."

"But Edward, you can't know that. Are you Alice? No. And even Alice can't say for sure because there are too many variables. And I'd never forgive myself if – "

He cut me off by pressing his lips roughly against mine. My mind blanked, and I suddenly couldn't remember what we were arguing about. I wove my hands around his neck and threaded my fingers into his hair. It was so incredibly soft. He moaned into my mouth, but then I felt him pull away. I was strong now – maybe not stronger than him if it came to a fight – but strong enough to resist his resistance.

I tightened my grip against his head and brought his body closer to mine. For another wonderful few moments, he stopped fighting it and it felt like heaven when his tongue traced my lips and then slipped between them.

But then suddenly, and I hadn't seen it coming in time to stop him, he was on the other side of the room panting. My breathing was equally as ragged.

"Damn it, Edward," I groaned, running my hands through my hair. "Why do you keep doing this? Do you really so desperately not want to be with me?"

"Bella, you know that's not it," he argued weakly.

"Then what is it?!" I screamed, losing my patience.

"Bella… I don't want to hurt you." He said it as though he were trying to pacify a rapid animal.

"I'm not a weak human anymore, Edward," I told him, trying to calm down. "If you don't want to be with me, please, just tell me. Don't make up some stupid excuse, just tell me the truth."

He didn't respond for a while, his eyes going to the ceiling, the wall, the floor, anywhere but me. I tried, but failed to keep the tears back. He actually didn't want me.

"I see…" I croaked, and headed for the door. "Don't feel obligated to anything. I'll stay with Carlisle tonight." My hand reached for the doorknob, but before I could twist it, I felt Edward's icy touch on my shoulder.

"Bella, I just didn't think… I didn't think that after everything I've put you through… Everything I've _caused_… I didn't think you would still want me…" Edward confessed.

I looked at him incredulously through my tears. "And these last few months have been what? Pretend time?"

"Bella, I didn't think – "

"Exactly," I interrupted rudely. "You didn't think. I love you, Edward. I have always and I will always."

The hopeful smile that lit up his face was blinding. I heard him murmur an 'I love you', but I didn't get the chance to respond as I would've liked to. His lips were attacking mine furiously, and I couldn't help but grin into the kiss. I won.

_-  
I believe the world is falling to the ground  
Ah well, I guess we're gonna find out  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Well I believe it all is coming to an end  
Ah well, I guess we're gonna pretend  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
-_

**Edward**

Bella's words echoed through my mind as I kissed her. She loved me. She didn't secretly hold a grudge for what I did to her. She loves me! Her lips were eager against mine. I gripped her waist tightly in my hands and lifted her slight body closer to mine. Her hands were twisted into my hair; she pulled my head back and dropped her mouth to bite and suck on my neck. It surprised me how sensitive my neck was.

However, I didn't want this to happen with her pushed up against the door as she was now. _'Bed'_ I murmured quietly as I motioned for her to wrap her legs around my waist. In a flash, I was bending her backwards onto the bed, and my body followed her down.

She arched her back off the bed, and her arms crossed in front of her as she grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head. God, she's beautiful. Her hands moved inside my button up shirt, and I quickly aided her by undoing the buttons at a faster-than-human speed. She pushed it off my shoulders and then her mouth latched onto my collarbone.

It didn't take us long to rid each other of all our clothes. Once she got rid of my shirt, my pants were close behind, and I didn't waste any time removing her pants as well. As we lay there in nothing but our undergarments, I had to force myself to believe this was really happening. It's not a dream – obviously, because I can't sleep. It's not a hallucination; Bella is really here, almost nude in front of me, wanting me to make love to her. I unclipped her bra and I saw a slight flush immediate come over her body.

"Don't be embarrassed, my love," I whispered in her ear. "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever beheld." I punctuated my words by placing kisses all around her beautiful breasts, nipping and licking until I reached the center. Her nipples hardened as my cool fingers touched them. While I bit gently on one nipple, I tweaked the other with my thumb and forefinger, causing Bella to let out a whimper and arch her chest towards me. I felt her hands thread through my hair and hold my head to her breast.

"Edward," she panted. "Edward, please. I need…" but the rest was a gasp as I trailed my free hand down to her panties. I pulled them off with a bit of assistance from her, and her wiggling hips drove me insane. When I removed my own boxers, and we were finally completely flesh-on-flesh, I swear I'd died and gone to heaven. Her body was so warm and alive.

"Bella, love, this is going to hurt," I warned her. She nodded in understanding and wrapped her legs around my waist, using her knees to urge me forward. I pushed into her slowly and we both groaned in unison. I pushed past her barrier quickly, to get it over with, and she let out a small, pained whimper.

"I'm sorry, love. It'll get better, I promise." She nodded up at me, blinking a tear out of her eye. I raised my hand and wiped the tear away. After a moment, she smiled up at me and rolled her hips, causing my eyes to roll back in my head.

"Faster Edward, please," she moaned, fisting my hair and bringing my lips crashing against hers. All of a sudden, my plan to make slow, sweet love to Bella was demolished, and instead was replaced with fast and hard. She didn't seem to be complaining though, if the high pitched keening in the back of her throat was anything to go by.

She let out a scream, though I don't think she realized it, as she finally climaxed, and as her muscles clenched around me, I followed soon after. I moved to roll off her, but she tightened her legs around my waist in protest, holding me inside.

"Just stay, please," she whispered. I nodded and rolled us so that she was instead on top of me. She hummed in happiness and only a few seconds later, she was asleep on my chest.

_-  
I believe the world is falling to the ground  
Ah well, I guess we're gonna find out  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
Well I believe it all is coming to an end  
Ah well, I guess we're gonna pretend  
Let's see how far we've come  
Let's see how far we've come  
-_


	15. Author's Note, Sorry!

**I really hate myself for doing this. You guys have no idea. I always SWORE I would never be one of those authors that posted obnoxious author's notes telling everyone that the story wasn't being updated. Because obviously, you all can tell that the final chapter has yet to be added. However, please read on...**

**Okay, so I really do have a good excuse for why it's taken so long for this chapter. See, I had this all written out. One day during summer school my muse went crazy so rather than learning Consumer's Education and Geography like I was supposed to, I wrote it all down in a notebook. Well, my notebook got lost, which is understandable if you've seen my room. It's a mess – things get eaten. Anyway, I cleaned my room and found the notebook! **﻿

**Unfortunately, school is currently kicking my ass. Aside from the shit load of homework I have as a result from trying to cram my junior and senior year classes into the same year, on Tuesday's I have to be in two places at once after school, as well as Wednesdays. I'm taking the ACT on Saturday, followed by a friend of mine's birthday party, then Sunday I have to unload all my mom's shit because she just moved back from New Mexico (where she's been living for the past three years). *sigh* Anyway.... so yeah. I know guys, I suck. I swear, as soon as I get the chance, the update will be made. It's just a matter of finishing typing it up and making some final tweaks!**

**Don't murder me, please!**

**Whitelight72**


	16. Darkness Round the Sun

**Author's Note: Okay, so, in my defense, it's actually not my fault that it took so long to post this. I finished it quite a while ago, but Fanfiction has been giving me issues with uploading documents for a couple weeks. Finally, I tried again, so here it is. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 15  
Darkness Round The Sun**

**Bella**

"Let's get this party started!"

I glanced over at my Italian bodyguard. "You have got to stop listening to American pop music." He grinned. "And don't be so eager to start a fight. You're starting to sound like Emmett."

The "yes ma'am" from Demetri was drowned out by the "HEY!" from Emmett.

"Okay people, what's our plan?" Enho, always the strategist. We were all gathered around our rental cars at the base of the mountain we knew Nathan to be on. From the sounds of it, he had recruited quite a few vampires, and I don't think they were all newborns, per say. He probably got a couple nomad clans. I'm not exactly popular among rebellious vampires.

"Don't die," I responded.

"You mean we came all the way out here without a plan?" asked Akiko incredulously. "Just what exactly were you doing all night, then?"

Demetri sniggered as I blushed. Edward coughed and looked away. I glared at Demetri; I refuse to be embarrassed about what happened last night. It was a beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime experience that I wouldn't change for anything.

"Shut up, all of you. Of the nine of us, who's in charge here?" I asked testily. Silence. "That's what I thought. And of all of us, I'm also the only one who needs to sleep. Why didn't any of you come up with a plan?" No answer. "No. So here's the plan: I kill Nathaniel. No one else touches him. Take care of the nomads; Nathan is mine. Don't die."

"Isabella, with all due respect, you can't handle him on your own," Eran stated calmly. "Let's just look at past instances; he always gets the best of you."

I took no offense because he had a point. I've been after him since I was inducted into the Volturi. No one has ever bested me like this and it was getting tiresome.

"Yes, I know, which is why I need everyone away from me. I need to concentrate and if one of you is in danger, that will never happen. Besides, as soon as we find Vanni, she'll provide additional help."

"I don't like this, Bella," Edward informed me, pulling me away for at least a guise of privacy. "This is too dangerous. I could help you. _Please_, let me help you."

_-  
Somewhere there's a sea that has no other side  
Somewhere there's an airplane lost beyond the sky  
So fly us up above the clouds  
Live your life, where you are now  
-_

It broke my heart to deny my love anything, but I had to. "I'm sorry Edward, but I can't. I cannot put you in anymore danger. I didn't even want your family here, but you caught me before I could leave. Try to see things from my perspective – if this was your battle, you would want me as far away as physically possible."

"He would probably calculate the distance and carry you to the other side of the earth!" Alice called out, throwing her opinion in. I smirked and Edward, Alice having proven my point.

He was silent; perhaps he finally understood where I was coming from. He nodded once, agreeing with me, before pulling me close and pressing his lips roughly against mine. It was desperate, reminding me very much of his kisses so many years ago leading up to abandoning me.

"Don't you leave me, Isabella Swan," he whispered when he pulled away. "I just got you back. I can't lose you again, my love. Come back to me, you hear me? You come back to me."

If vampires could cry, we would both be sobbing. I kissed him one last time, whispered my love for him, then shot up the mountain.

_-  
In the darkness round the sun  
There's light behind your eyes  
When you've lost the will to run  
You can feel it start to shine  
When the rain falls down so hard  
And you don' t know where to start  
Drowning in the sun  
-_

**Edward**

I watched her go. More importantly, I let her go. This was her battle. The final battle for this ongoing war between Bella and Nathaniel. But I would be sure there were no surprises.

"Come on!" I called out to the others. "We have to keep Nathan's army off her back!" I took off running – "Let's go!" – and heard the others start to follow.

We reached the top of the mountain in minutes, and it didn't take very long to find them. There were about 20 other vampires, and they were standing in a circle around Bella and Nathan, who were both in fighting stances. The army was being held back by Bella; she had one hand extended back towards the vampires and the other aimed at Nathan.

I reached the circle first and grabbed two vampires by the neck. Akiko, I just learned, controls fire. The second she reached the clearing, a fire was started for us to throw pieces in. The first vampire I grabbed was headless and thrown into the fire the moment I touched him – the element of surprise. The other one quickly fought back. Everyone had already grabbed another vampire to fight, but we were severely outnumbered. Bella and Nathan had broken their stand off once Bella was able to focus on him instead of the other vampires, and I looked over in time to see him rush her. In response, she used her new power to throw him away from her.

"Akiko!" she shouted. "Akiko, gimme a roff!"

At first I didn't understand, but when Akiko moved her hands in a circular pattern and fire suddenly surrounded Bella and Nathan, I got it. ROF, not roff. ROF – Ring of Fire. Creative. The few that had remained circling the two jumped back, screaming when they caught fire. It made it much easier to fight them.

I grabbed another vampire by the hair and twisted one of her arms off. She howled and swiped at me, leaving claw marks on the side of my face. I heard Bella cry out in pain, but couldn't even look; I had two of my own vampires to deal with. I pushed one off me as the other knocked me backwards. From the ground, I kicked up and my feet connected with his chest. As I jumped up, I took a quick glance at Bella. There were now three people inside the ring of fire instead of two. The newest addition was a redheaded female. Not exactly Victoria-colored hair – it was lighter. It appeared she was on Bella's side. I went back to fighting, feeling much better knowing Bella had help. I heard another scream, but when I looked up, it wasn't what I expected.

And then, Nathan was without a head. Marvelous.

**Bella**

"Akiko! Akiko, gimme a ROF!" She's never done it in battle, I don't think. At least not with me, but I've seen her do it during training. It worked like a charm though, and I watched with grim satisfaction as the vampires that had been surrounding us were forced back. The others would deal with them.

"Looks like it's just the two of us," I told him smugly. His cronies wouldn't be able to interfere. Fighting him was easier now than it used to be – now that I know about my powers. I attempted to dodge him, but in doing so, knocked myself over. Wow, I feel like an idiot. Even with vampire grace, I'm still a klutz. Before I could raise myself off the ground, Nathan was on top of me

"This looks like a fun position," he whispered silkily. "Shall we explore the perfect, untouchable body of Ms. Isabella Swan?"

I grinned up at him. "I won't argue the perfect front, but I'm not exactly untouched anymore."

The smirk on his face faded away and he growled. "You let him touch you!?" I just smirked at him and he backhanded me. "No one else is allowed to touch you! You are mine!"

I rolled my eyes. "Obviously not."

"Shut up, you stupid bitch!" I'd never seen him so emotional. He usually kept himself very calm and confident. This was good; people make stupid mistakes when they're angry. He knocked me backwards into the fire and held me there. My hands caught fire, as well as my face. I screamed out in pain as I felt my flesh burning away. Okay, so anger was not a pretty thing on Nathaniel.

"Akiko!" I called out weakly. Almost instantly I stopped burning and the flames nearest to me and disappeared. A blur ran in and tackled Nathan off of me. I scrambled away from the ring, and the flame barrier returned.

"I found your red-headed friend," Akiko called out, smiling as she propelled herself off a vamp's back and back flipped through midair. "She seemed a bit pissed that she got captured. I thought it best to let her vent her anger in a useful way."

I grinned as I stood back for a moment and merely watched as Vanni Monacelli completely whaled on Nathan. She was everywhere at once – even with my vampire enhanced human eyes, she was little more than a blur. After a moment, I decided to step in. Nathan was done' it's time his existence came to an end. I came up behind him, jumped on his back, and twisted his head off his shoulders. I then used my telekinesis to float it over into the fire while Vanni took care of the rest of his body.

_-  
Somewhere someone thinks they've found the perfect love  
And they think you've found the answer to all of this  
So hang on sometimes we miss it  
I'll be your perfect kiss  
-_

The fighting was diminishing around us. All of Nathan's newborn army began to give up when they saw their leader fall. We took no prisoners. Vanni was like a machine at rounding them up. She was an amazing fighter when she was ticked, and nothing makes her angrier than being successfully kidnapped.

"But don't forget, I was a major pain in his ass for my entire capture," she reminded me. Of this I have no doubt.

I searched through the chaos looking for Edward. He was standing next to Carlisle; the two were having another one of their silent conversations. I sighed in relief. He was alive; okay; and appearing to be in one piece.

All of a sudden, I felt very faint. "Vanni," I called out weakly. She turned towards me immediately. "I think the adrenaline is wearing off…"

And then it was black.

_-  
In the darkness round the sun  
There's light behind your eyes  
When you've lost the will to run  
You can feel it start to shine  
When the rain falls down so hard  
And you don' t know where to start  
Drowning in the sun  
-_

**Epilogue to follow soon-ish.**


End file.
